How to rebrand a website to resonate with the company's new strategic focus and audience?

CreditBook's strategic focus was evolving from consumer financial products to embedded finance. The company had initially concentrated on its first product, the digital khata, and its original target audience. However, when executives and the sales team engaged with Financial Institutions (FIs) and banks, the existing brand and website no longer resonated with the new direction.

In early 2024, CreditBook kicked off its rebranding journey to align with its new strategic focus. I played a significant role in leading the brainstorming and ideation sessions, helping to define the new brand foundations in color and typography. Once the new brand guidelines were established, the next critical step was to update the website to reflect these changes.

I initiated the process by conducting a comprehensive analysis of our market competitors. I collected screenshots of their websites, meticulously organizing them and their content section by section with the help of my co-designer, Mariam. This provided a clear overview of industry standards and trends, which served as valuable references.

I collaborated closely with the founders, Team Leads (TLs), and the Head of Design to outline the structure and content of each webpage.
Through extensive ideation and multiple iterations, we finalized the website wireframes and its information architecture. This collaborative approach ensured that all stakeholders were aligned and that the website would effectively convey our new brand identity.

The entire rebranding process took approximately three months, with an additional two weeks for development. My team and I revealed the new branding and website on 17th May, 2024 in our company-wide Townhall meeting. I designed a nifty looking invite for the event.

The outcome was extremely well-received within the company during our internal launch. The founders, TLs, employees, and partners all appreciated the efforts and the fresh new look of the website.

Our external/public launch is scheduled for July 2024 (at the time of time writing this) and we are optimistic about the positive impact it will have on our brand perception and engagement with our new target audience.

This case study underscores the importance of a collaborative approach and thorough competitor analysis in rebranding efforts.

By aligning the website with our new strategic focus, I was able to create a cohesive and compelling brand presence that resonates with both internal and external stakeholders. This project taught me the following lessons:

1. When designing complex landing pages, the fundamentals of your brand and design practices can help navigate the complexity.

2. It is okay to ask for help when you can’t figure something out. It is better to be proactive in asking for help rather than after multiple trial and error.

3. Mobile-first isn’t always the way to go. While there are benefits to this approach, when designing landing pages - visual design is extremely important. It is a bit difficult to overcome the design bias when adapting the smaller mobile viewport designs to larger web ones. In this case, I found it better to go desktop first.