Mr. Upside x GeenCash payment app
GeenCash is a new Dutch payment platform. It uses Location Based services to facilitate financial transactions without physical money. Based on the current location of the buyer and seller, both parties are linked to each other through GeenCash for the duration of the transaction. It is not necessary to share personal data, such as telephone number or e-mail address.
At the end of 2019, Dutch start-up GeenCash was looking for a UX/UI / Graphic Designer. They needed a Brand Identity design and the graphic design of various means of communication. GeenCash placed the project online, on which Mr. Upside responded.
Problem / challenge
The challenge was twofold:
When mr. Upside was approached there was only a technical prototype of the GeenCash application.
In addition, there was not yet anything comparable in the payment apps market. The operation of the service is unique, and therefore also the target group of GeenCash.
Finding a brand identity
In other words, the focus on the collaboration between Mr. Upside and GeenCash was mainly about finding a brand identity. The design of collateral and communication means was secondary.
Creative Strategy
The aim was to develop a unique and recognisable house style, translated into online communication means (a website and app interface) that appeal to a relatively young, internet savvy target group.
Target audience
The application is based on innovative online technology and differs from existing financial apps on crucial points. Therefore, the primary target group was set at young adults between 20 and 35 years of age. They grew up with mobile phones and computers and are not afraid to try out new digital techniques. The application was targeted at Dutch people and using the Dutch language.
5-step process
The creative strategy consisted of five steps.
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Brand Strategy Sessions
In addition to research into the market for financial apps, a lot of attention was paid to three Brand Strategy meetings with the founders. These sessions were cast in the form of interviews. The many critical and strategic questions are formulated in such a way that valuable insights are obtained. -
A number of core values or concept pillars emerged from the sessions. These could be used as creative hooks and to test the ideas and possible design directions for usability at an early stage.
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A logo or corporate identity without a creative concept is an empty shell. Nothing more than a pretty picture. The creative concept ensured the cohesion between the various expressions and the thorough substantiation of design choices.
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Many ideas for the brand mark were generated based on all the information from the previous steps. Out of the many ideas, Mr. Upside itself had already made a first selection before presenting it to GeenCash. A further selection was made from the first and in several iterations we worked towards a final logo.
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In the first phase, GeenCash indicated that there was no immediate need for offline means of communication, such as brochures, flyers, stationery or clothing. However, there was a need for a promotional marketing website and the UX/UI Design of the interface of the payment app.
Art Direction and design
Step 1 - Research and Brand Sessions
Cash money as competitor
A particularly nice insight from the brand strategy sessions was that GeenCash should not so much see other brands but also normal cash money as competition. It actually offers an alternative for the facilitation of small, cash, anonymous and spontaneous purchases.
Brand essence
’Convenience’ was defined as brand essence. GeenCash should, above all, be easy and accessible.
Pain point
The Compelling Problem, the main ‘pain point’ of customers that GeenCash solves for its users was defined as:
“GeenCash prevents the missed opportunity of not being able to make a certain transaction due to the lack of cash in your pocket. GeenCash enables unplanned, spontaneous, occasional transactions.”
Brand promise
The brand promise and the distinctive character of GeenCash were determined on the basis of keywords:
‘Convenience’
'Convenience' is a feeling, an emotion. Because convenience is personal to everyone, this core value is difficult to translate into one visual form. An 'easy shape' is perhaps something that is flexible, moves with you, not strict and without hard edges. ‘Convenience’ therefore became more of an important condition for the interaction with users.
‘Fun’
"Fun" (excitement and cheerfulness) is also an emotion. But one that, translated into shapes, can quickly affect the reliability of a brand. Cheerful, fun and exciting shapes and colours quickly ensure that especially a young target group feels addressed. Serious, non-happy shapes often contain hard angles and sharp, straight lines.
'Privacy'
‘Privacy’ is an abstract concept but is often translated by 'protective' forms, by boundaries.
Pay-off
The payoff became (translated into English): 'Pay independently, everywhere and anonymously'.
Key message
The core message for all communication was set at: 'The GeenCash app helps you to make easy, small, cash and spontaneous purchases, anonymously and without money in your pocket.'
Step 2 - Core values
Based on the Brand promise
The core values, the ‘brackets’ on which ideas for the design of the logo could be hung, were taken from the brand promise:
Ease
Privacy
Fun
Location > everywhere
At GeenCash, location is of course of above-average importance as a precondition for an optimal service. Because GeenCash is an internet application, the app can actually be used anywhere and by anyone. Even if the location is not shared. The broad concept of 'everywhere' therefore applies well to GeenCash. And to be combined with the aforementioned core values.
Step 3 - Creative Concept
Translated into the less technical ‘proximity’
GeenCash has a fairly abstract service; facilitating the transaction of small amounts of money.
That is why it was decided to base the creative concept mainly on the last-mentioned core value, 'location' and Location Based Services. For the creative concept, ‘location’ has been further translated into the less technical 'proximity'.
Step 4 - Design of the visual style and brand mark
Round shapes
360 degrees
The letters 'g' and 'c' are placed around and in close proximity to a location icon. In addition, Location Based Services are technically always active 360 degrees around a center. Therefore, the round shapes of the 'g', 'c', and that of the location icon have been emphasised.
Reliable typography
Human aspect
The choice was made to make the typography heavy and reliable, like a bank. Although the service is based on technology, a conscious decision was made not to give the typography a technical appearance, but to focus on the human aspect.
Confident and unique
Round shapes in the letterforms keep the whole look&feel human and friendly. The cut corners of the "n" and the "a" give it a more confident look. And it also creates unique letter shapes.
Stable
The letter logo is based on Google font Montserrat. The broad letter shapes give the word mark the desired stable and reliable appearance.
Merriweather font by Google Fonts
Montserrat has been deliberately combined with the contrasting, more classic serif Merriweather font. Serifs are the "brackets" at the ends of letters. Serif letters are often used by newspapers in longer texts, because the 'brackets' make it easier to guide eyes from one letter to another. The Merriweather font, like Montserrat, is a Google Font which ensures that it is optimised for online use.
Colours
In the financial market, blue and green dominate. Two Dutch banks go for purple. ING claims orange. Payconiq claims pink. Yellow is mainly used as an accent color, not the main color. Warm colours red and yellow are hardly used.
Adaptation of rules and processes
With a product where reliability is not directly a core value, it is easier to be fiercely different from the market. But when facilitating a financial transaction, you want to radiate security, reliability and adaptation of rules and processes.
Precious cash transactions
Piggybacking on 'comparable' brands is normally not advisable. You want to position the brand in a part of the market that is still untapped. However, GeenCash is so different in operation and use, that there is a risk that potential customers will find it too different to allow it to facilitate their precious cash transactions.
Color of money
Market research has shown that financial brands often use blue and green as their base color. Sometimes with a warm accent color. Blue is cool, businesslike and reliable. Green is the color of money and a friendly color. That is why that color combination was advised to GeenCash.
‘Convenient’ color combinations
Because of the core value of 'fun', many different colours were used in all kinds of bold combinations in previous sketches. However, it also made the appearance overly busy and complex. This quickly ran counter to the other core values of 'reliable', 'safe' and above all 'convenience'. That is why we decided to allow many colours in the house style while, at the same time, keeping the logo in simple, ‘convenient’ color combinations with the background.
Images
The core message in all communication was previously established as: 'The GeenCash app facilitates easy, small, spontaneous purchases, anonymously and without cash money in your pocket.'
Dutch audiences
The feeling of an easy, spontaneous nice purchases became the basis for the image concept. The photography had to appeal to a Dutch audience and show real people, not models, to appear trustworthy. So as few obscuring modifications of the image as possible.
No illustrations
Although illustration could easily add a fun factor, we felt the images would lose the trustworthy appearance we looked for. So we chose to omit it. At least in promotional images.
Coloured overlays
The only image processing proposed is a duotone colour overlay of the photography. The coloured overlays can provide the fun factor and the limited color palette can communicate the core value of 'convenience' and 'simple'.
Step 5 - Design of communication means
Design of online applications
GeenCash indicated that it did not have a direct need for printed matter, but it did in the design of the payment app and the marketing website.
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