Circulate, designed for university students, allows effortless sharing of details by simply tapping one key fob to another, enabling seamless transfers without the awkwardness of asking. Accessible anytime, anywhere. Circulate is a bank that works with you!
I began by understanding my users, primarily their needs from a bank and the issues they are facing. Starting with a survey that clarified what they needed and wanted out of their own banking.
The feedback was that people wanted very straightforward banking that allows them to easily access their balance and transfer money.
They want easy and convenient banking. I explored popular digital banks and the issues with them and the ones that are most popular with university students.
Based on my research, I set out to create a banking brand that allowed people to connect free from hassle, irritation, or awkwardness.
This brand development began with core values and names. The core values are: Ease, Safety, Accessibility, Honesty, and Convenience.
My bank is all about connecting people effortlessly and empowering you to take control of your finances.
Circulate came from wanting a name that displayed sharing and movement.
The name really helped create the visual brand identity of the brand.
The Circulate wordmark shows how the brand was created to adapt with you, not hinder you.
The logo displays the connection between people, with the overlapping circles.
The branding is applied across the app, reinforcing it. The colours from the logo I used to highlight buttons and features.
The app contains tools for storing money in pots and transferring money, empowering you through good UX design.
When building my digital bank, I explored physical ways of displaying my ideas.
This is done through a key fob that with a simple tap will transfer bank details.
Creating a physical item that reinforces the brand and can be taken anywhere with you.
The branding is applied across the app, reinforcing it. The colours from the logo I used to highlight buttons and features.
The app contains tools for storing money in pots and transferring money, empowering you through good UX design.
I also created a landing page that reinforces my branding. I played with the wordmark scale, creating a flowing page that guides users through the page.
The use of shapes creates a really playful and engaging page. The layout shows the hierarchy of information, giving the user what they need to know clearly.
This project aimed to create a brand that is conveyed with the brand guidelines, showing the whole brand identity.
It is a complete guide to the brand, allowing others to understand and follow the brand creating consistency across any platform the brand is displayed.
This project was very interesting. It allowed me to explore and learn about lots of different design elements, making up the brand. The aspect that I enjoyed the most was the creation of the brandmark, which I believe fully represents the brand identity. It gives me a chance to play and explore the possibilities. Over summer I chose to go back over this project with fresh eyes to see and with everything I learnt, I made improvements to the app interface.
While I am very proud of the bank brand, I do feel with more time it could be improved and expanded. In areas like application that branding opportunities could be explore with an on-boarding gift box that enhances the experience and is aimed at university students.
