Rebranding the Dwolla Identity System

In 2018 I had the pleasure of rebranding Dwolla. Up until that point, Dwolla had mainly been focused on P2P payments, but the company pivoted and changed their business model to focus on building an ACH API based on the banking infrastructure. With the shift in focus, the company required a fresh look.

My Process

Competitive Analysis & Research
Brainstorming / Early Ideation / Sketching
Exploration and Initial Mockups
Present Options to Stakeholders
Iterate on Feedback
Finalize

Brand Attributes

Some keywords were determined by group stakeholders to help define what the identity should represent. These brand attributes are the characteristics that make up the personality of the organization. These attributes would drive the tone and visual look of all communications for the company going forward.

Movement
Speed
Reliability
Network

The 3 Layers

The essential function of Dwolla’s API is to connect their customers with the ACH Network, creating a unit made up of three layers. We determined the three layers should somehow be visually conveyed in the logo.

Shape Exploration

Options Presented to Stakeholders

Concept A

This interpretive image shows the cohesion of the three layers and indicates movement in a strong, secure direction. The three layers represent the User Interface, Dwolla’s API and the ACH Network.

Concept B

This concept uses outward pointing arrows with a central point of connection representing the vast ACH network. The three triangles also reinforce the idea of the three layers as well as give a nod to the D in the word "Dwolla".

Concept C

This concept is a further exploration of the three layers introduced in Concept A. The layers of the icon intertwine in a pleasingly visual way where it is impossible to tell where one layer ends and the other begins.

Final Branding

The hexagonal shape and three layers are retained within the background pattern and used repeatedly on various marketing materials to create visual recognition.

In Application

The visual identity system has been applied to a wide range of materials including social media profiles, stickers, badges, company presentations, Money 2020 booth graphics and clothing apparel to name a few.

Final Results

The redesign was featured on the Brand New website, which is a division of UnderConsideration, chronicling and providing opinions on corporate and brand identity work. I was pleased to see that the results were pretty good with most people voting for "Great" or "Fine".

After the rebrand, I quickly created brand guidelines and distributed them throughout the entire organization to ensure that everybody was following brand standards which resulted in more consistency and professionalism across all company properties and communications.