Worsening UK economic conditions and a dramatic rise in the cost of living have driven an increase in personal debt. This means there is a growing need for people to access new and better kinds of borrowing. Younger generations are navigating an uncertain future of work, housing and pensions and research highlights a need for education to help guide their financial decision-making.

Moreover, the JCU membership consisted 2:1 of over-fifties to under-fifties, so it was necessary to broaden and grow this demographic, ensuring the Union remains viable and relevant to the local community both now and in the future.

With such a complex service and so many moving parts, we wanted to ensure we fully understood the issues JCU faced and what was driving financial decision-making in the community.

We partnered with long-time collaborators Creative Concern, a social & community-focussed practice in Manchester, and Scottish design researcher Jeni Lennox to interview and analyse the responses from a broad set of stakeholders and local people.

Armed with this research knowledge, we were able to plan our creative response with confidence.

First of all, we redesigned the Union’s identity from the bottom up, creating a friendly new people-focused logo that was both distinctive and ownable.

Photography by Elaine Livingstone

From there, we built a full brand toolkit, social media assets and art-directed photography of local families for a multimedia campaign to raise awareness and grow the membership.

Creative Concern

Next up, we handed over the reins to Creative Concern—who built on the copy lines we’d tested in the research phase—to create and coordinate the marketing campaign.

The final piece of the puzzle was to place JCU’s offices at the heart of the community. Cue a smart new paint scheme and bespoke branch signage celebrating the new identity on the ground.

The result is a bold and unified visual presence, both physical and digital, which gave JCU  the confidence to talk to prospective members in a voice they knew would resonate with the people of Renfrewshire.

Following the rebrand and marketing campaign, JCU has seen engagement across the community and there has been a positive effect with growth in membership in contrast to previous years when the numbers were declining. Seasonal drops in the amount of loans taken out has also improved.

Johnstone Credit Union is looking to the future knowing it can continue to support the local area with sound advice and solid financial services.

‘We really enjoyed the process and are extremely happy with everything, especially the logo – we love it!’
Margaret Bryce, Manager, JCU

‘The team and everyone we met in and around JCU were great people and a real pleasure to work with. It makes our day when we can help such a valuable service showcase what they do to a wider audience.’
Neil Wallace, O Street