Furness Building Society

Category: Website Design, Sales Promotion,

Furness Building Society felt that they were stuck in the past with an outdated, provincial image that did not sit with the modern business environment or with their aspirations to broaden their client base. However, they were keen not to alienate their existing customers, many of whom identified strongly with their traditional qualities.

Our challenge was to take the brand forward for Furness, without taking it out of reach.

The Brief

With a strong heritage of serving the rural communities of Cumbria and North Lancashire, the Furness Building Society naturally carried an image of traditional, solid service. However this perception also carried with it a few negatives that made them feel that the brand was outdated in the modern financial marketplace and that this was holding them back in the drive to attract new business and revitalise sales to existing customers.

In the long term, the Furness also had plans to broaden their customer base nationally, in a similar way to The Cheshire or Cheltenham and Gloucester and this would also require a more contemporary approach with a broader appeal.

The Concept

There were many aspects of the existing branding which could be retained and refreshed, while others clearly had to be replaced or redesigned. This gave A&P the perfect balance of old and new to work with, to inspire new customers while not alienating the existing base.

Our design team worked carefully to bring the brand up to date without pushing it beyond the reach of the traditional customers. For example, lots of white space gave the brand a fresh, new approachable look, while the bold use of existing colours kept it reassuringly familiar.

The Production

The production of the new look began with the logo – perhaps the most dated aspect of the overall brand.

Brand guidelines regarding the use of colour, modern typefaces and layouts were then produced to set the new look and ensure it was applied consistently across all media.

The new, fresh styling was then introduced into the branches, blowing away the cobwebs and creating a modern, stimulating environment that welcomes customers old and new. All backed by the core brand values and conducted research.

The Result

Feedback about the new brand has been very positive, with many customers commenting that the new look made the Furness seem like a modern, professional organisation on a par with the leading high street banks.

The branches have been described as welcoming and friendly and the new logo as more inclusive and approachable.