New Views of Success

In the field of student loans, most brands are merely “good enough for government work.” That wasn’t good enough for VFI (Vista Financial, Inc.), a Performant Financial Corporation subsidiary created to provide loan-consolidation and student loans. Building on “Looking Out for Your Future,” we created a striking program that said to students and parents, “We put your interests first.” The vivid illustrations—suggesting “looking over your shoulder”—were designed for multicultural compatibility. Into the broad horizon we injected icons of work, leisure, and home to symbolize future dreams.

Interface with Federal Student Loan Application

The VFI web site needed to incorporate an interface that emulated the federal loan-consolidation application. In addition, students had to be able to print out the completed federal form, sign it, and mail it in. We teamed with VFI’s IT staff to design and engineer an easy-to-use site within a very tight deadline.

Waking Up a Tired Industry

Trade shows and conferences represent an important opportunity for student loan-consolidation companies—an opportunity that’s often wasted with generic-looking exhibits. The dynamic trade show materials we designed for VFI broke through the white noise and made an indelible impression on the company’s primary audience: college financial-aid officers, students and parents.

Program Scope

Brand Assessment
Strategy Development / Planning
Brand Identity Elements
Brand Communications Program
Brand Style Guide
Website Development
Trade Show Environment

Results

Overall system appealed to target audiences and created buzz within the industry. The impact of the program allowed VFI to begin new business partnerships. The response was overwhelming. Aside from the huge numbers of applicants, VFI received many unsolicited comments from students who said the site’s appealing design helped sell them on the company’s services. Many of them commented that VFI’s highly effective booth and clearly written print materials motivated them to contact VFI.