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The Labs innovation team pushes the boundaries of the banking experience, working across business units and leaning into the future. They were sitting on much more than they realized. We created a narrative that shares the group’s offering and initiatives to the world.
Wells Fargo’s customers are human beings with feelings, attitudes, and daily lives full of opportunities for Wells to support them. Instead of focusing Labs’ message on the technology, we developed a design strategy that connects people emotionally, and they see themselves in the offerings.
Through visits to retail stores and the physical Labs environment, conversations with key stakeholders and team members, and competitive analysis we created a foundation for the new story of Wells Fargo Labs. We identified opportunities for distinction and developed a mission based on four guiding principles.
Wells Fargo Labs meets people where they are.
Wells Fargo Labs builds together.
Wells Fargo Labs knows good people require good products.
Wells Fargo Labs celebrates experimentation.
-Wells Fargo Art Director
To speak confidently to a modern audience, we pushed the confines of the Wells Fargo brand, giving it new life with rich imagery and a vibrant palette. We explored concepts that showcased new ways of thinking and demonstrated a commitment to innovation, folding in friendly sophistication and a high level of polish.
By pushing a refreshed brand and a new logo through organizational blocks, we established Wells Fargo Labs as a strong player in finance and tech. The new design was recognized internally as a large step forward in ushering the brand into 2016.
We examined nine of Labs’ innovations, from Beacon to Connected Car, and identified the unique nugget of opportunity to create an inspiring story. We asked questions: “How might Beacon technology make transactions smoother for banking customers?” and “How would we actually use cars as payment gateways?”
Then we got to work crafting focused narratives around the customers, not initiatives. We turned our content into storyboards and turned the storyboards into video moments that demonstrate real customer interaction.
Leveraging our new visual expression, we created a standalone iPad app to bring the Labs energy to Wells Fargo stores. The tablet experience features innovation videos and subtle interactions to engage a diverse audience in the Labs story.
