Point West Credit Union

About the project

We first redesigned Point West’s website in 2016, then refreshed the look and feel in 2020. From the outset of this project, we worked with the Point West team to identify three primary goals for the website redesign: 

OBJECTIVE 1

Differentiating through design

Point West is not afraid to be bold when it comes to its advocacy for the financially underserved. We wanted to ensure that the new website design captured its unflinching commitment to its members and communities with a vibrant new color scheme and striking graphic elements. The design both captures website visitors’ attention and immediately communicates that Point West is different from most financial institutions. 

OBJECTIVE 2

Leading with values

By bringing financial empowerment to the underserved, Point West is the epitome of a values-driven financial institution. It believes in an inclusive community, where its values are what defines it and guide its actions. We carefully curated the new Point West homepage to reinforce the credit union’s vision and mission, with copy, imagery, and graphic elements that convey a strong sense of belonging and community.

The main navigation menu highlights products specifically designed for the financially underserved; the “About” section delves deeper into the Point West difference, its guiding beliefs, and its community involvement; and a language toggle instantly translates the site for the credit union’s Spanish-speaking members.

OBJECTIVE 3

Highlighting real members

How else do you capture impact? Numbers are a no-brainer, which feature prominently into the website’s Impact page, but we also wanted to explore the people and stories behind the numbers. Point West has long been unique in its willingness to invest in real member photos rather than generic stock photos.

The credit union doubled down on its member photography for the latest redesign, with the result that it succeeds in fostering an immediate sense of connection and community before a visitor even starts reading the copy.  A dedicated Member Stories pages features vignettes in the members’ own words about why they joined Point West and how the credit union has helped them become more financially empowered.