Branding
UI/UX Design
Fintech
Introduction
Empowering Financial Inclusion: Redefining Banking for Black & Brown College Students
I worked full-time at Kinly as the leader of the product design department, I defined, planned, executed, and/or delegated major projects.
Problem
Kinly Had Challenges with Accessibility, Consistency, and Flavor.
Kinly's brand identity was originally conceived and designed by an external agency and received approval from non-design stakeholders. However, this process resulted in a visual identity that failed to align with the company's true essence and goals.
Kinly's branding encountered several critical challenges: a misalignment with the company's core values and mission, a marketing-centric focus that overlooked the Kinly app's essence, a lack of consideration for accessibility, and an inconsistent user experience that eroded trust. These issues were further compounded by consistent user feedback during sessions, revealing that the Kinly brand felt uninspiring, lacked vibrancy, and appeared visually unsaturated.
Solution
Revamping Kinly's Brand Identity
Strategy: Recognizing the need for a brand refresh, I initiated a comprehensive cross-departmental effort to redefine Kinly's design.
Execution: The first step involved creating a detailed project plan and assembling a dedicated team, which included a freelance visual designer and brand strategist. As a product designer, I championed an iterative approach, believing that excessive design efforts without validation can be wasteful.
Iterative Design: To ensure an effective brand redesign, we began by crafting three distinct moodboards and three mini visual branding concepts, or "style tiles." In my role as the team leader, I set the creative direction for each concept and meticulously refined them for user testing.
Mood Boards
Style Tiles
Results
Style Tile Testing & Successful Rollout
As a result of impression testing, it became clear that Kinly's users favored the Afropunk concept over the original brand, appreciating its appeal. However, they noted that its maximalist design could be distracting. In response, our team refined the concept to strike a balance, retaining vibrancy while simplifying elements for clarity.
Implementation: Collaboratively, I worked alongside marketing, product, and engineering teams to meticulously plan the rollout of the new brand. This encompassed everything from enhancing sign-out flows to crafting metal card designs.
Impact: The culmination of these efforts resulted in Kinly's new brand receiving widespread acclaim, not only from our users but also from investors. This surge in enthusiasm ultimately led to Kinly's acquisition by Greenwood Bank.
New Kinly logo
New UI to match existing experiences
