The art of creating a brand

During all the years of my professional career in the world of design, I have worked in different sectors such as fashion, catering, health… But I had never imagined that I would end up in the financial sector. In fact, at first, I was a bit scared: how could I change direction to a sector where design is not exactly an aspect that is taken into account? Would I get bored? Could I be creative? Would my wings be clipped? I had many questions that I would only know how to answer if I threw myself into an idea that I saw from the beginning would be different.

 

Laia Gubern. Art Director

 

First challenge: Change of sector, a new category

As soon as I got to know the idea, I saw that it was a new concept. Obviously, it was within the financial sector, but there was much more to it. It was about creating community, about bringing to people all this knowledge they need to be able to manage their money. To bring down concepts that we are led to believe are very difficult, to a reality that, when explained properly, is very simple. To create trust and to transmit that, in 11Onze, people are the base.

The big difference I noticed from the beginning is that, as the art director and designer, I had access to and was part of the team where everything was being built. And this has been key in the development and experience, as you can approach your work from a different perspective. Normally, as designers, we are used to working in creative teams where we receive briefings from other departments, and we do our job. Here at 11Onze it’s different, and it’s a change that seems circumstantial, but for me, it’s been essential.

Understanding the business, knowing how it works, being part of product and content development, knowing what the next steps will be… As a designer, you can contribute from the beginning, we’re not just there to make things pretty. We are there to improve the user experience, simplify, solve, yes, and also make everything visually more attractive for those who look at us.

And learning, one of the things I’ve done the most since I started my adventure at 11Onze, and not about design, but about everything else: processes, people, the world… and finances! The great tool that we are building at La Plaça, from 11Onze, has made me realise how necessary it is for us to be taught the basics from an early age in order to be able to make our own decisions. It’s been an accelerated master’s degree where I learn, apply and explain it to myself.

 

11Onze: Reliable, memorable and flexible

Regardless of your industry, if you want to differentiate yourself from your competitors, attract your target audience and convert them into customers, you need a strong brand identity. A good brand needs to be memorable and communicate the essence, story and values of the brand at the same time. Whether you work for a large-scale company or a small one, the importance of having a consistent brand identity that reaches people is key. And with 11Onze’s branding, that was a challenge.

The branding of 11Onze goes beyond the logo. It’s a combination of all the elements combined, including the colours, logo, tone, look&feel, treatment and service… In short, it’s how our customers can identify us. The power of branding is to be able to create credibility and trust that extends beyond the problems we solve and the products we have.

And by adding all these elements together, a little over two years ago, we created what now, when we think of 11Onze, comes to mind, what it makes us feel. During all this time we have been planting seeds to build customer loyalty and demonstrate with facts everything we have said we are.

What I do at 11Onze

My main task at 11Onze is based on caring for and evolving the brand. And how do you do this?

Firstly, it is essential to maintain visual coherence in everything you see of 11Onze, both inside and out. It must be easy to identify at a glance. In my department, we design materials or resources for the different areas of the company, from a simple visual for social networks, a design change in the El Canut app, a marketing campaign or an internal presentation. Always being part of each action or product from the beginning.

And secondly, it is to evolve and adapt the brand as it grows. To be clear, since La Plaça was launched in April 2021, we have been adding different products and services, and this has been done in such a way that the 11Onze universe has been expanding little by little, without destabilising our foundations and maintaining the same coherence that I have been repeating.

There is a lot of design, strategy and content work being done to provide our community with the best products and services, and that’s why having good branding is key. But the most essential thing is to be surrounded by a good team of people, that we all work towards the same goals and strive for what we want to end up being 11Onze. And all this is what makes the work worthwhile and makes it become part of you.

11Onze is the community fintech of Catalonia. Open an account by downloading the super app El Canut for Android or iOS and join the revolution!

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