Dividend, a division of Fifth Third Bank, first began life as Dividend Finance, an independent financial technology company (or fintech) that specialized in financing options for the new and expanding residential solar market. They quickly became a well-known and respected name. As they grew, they expanded into home improvement lending, a more established, “old-world” business with a saturated market and long-planted players, and where Dividend had no established reputation.
Dividend was thus facing two different markets with different operating contexts. In the newer solar industry, Dividend’s effective use of new fintech tools was a positive but not a differentiator. In the less tech-adept home improvement market, it was a differentiator, but the name Dividend was barely known, while competitors included major names in banking.
First-Hand Exploration 
The task of fully understanding the unique value that Dividend brought to each market began with interviews conducted by VSSL’s brand team. The first interviews with the client had representatives from both the solar and home improvement sides of the house, which gave us the background for follow-up interviews with actual Dividend partners, also from both the solar and home improvement sides. The client set up the interviews but did not participate, for the sake of candid discussion.
As we explored, we learned about an organization that worked hard to make itself easy to work with. They supported their partners not just with technology but also with training, easy availability when needed, and personal service focused on their success. And, we learned how Dividend’s recent acquisition by one of the largest banks in the country, Fifth Third Bank of Cincinnati, Ohio, added significantly to Dividend’s ability to support its customers and fulfill its obligations. (The relationship with Fifth Third Bank, a respected and trusted institution, would influence a number of creative decisions in the course of brand development.)
<h4>Building the Brand Elements</h4>
Mission, Vision, Pillars 
Actual brand development and expression began by clearly articulating Dividend’s Mission and Vision in a manner relevant to both the solar and home improvement markets. VSSL often defines the Vision as the world the client wants to see, and the Mission as their plan for bringing it about. For Dividend, the Mission and Vision were to establish the highest standards of professionalism, honesty, and integrity in their industry, empowering their partners to create more sustainable and comfortable living environments for their homeowner customers. These were supported by four Brand Pillars that focused on the truths of Dividend: Ethics, Partnership, Technology, and Stability.
Brand Voice and Elevator Pitch 
While the Mission, Vision, and Pillars are generally inward-facing statements, the Brand Voice and Elevator Pitch are designed to help the market understand the brand. The Brand Voice would reflect the mission: honest and professional, free of the hype and vague promises that are all too popular in the industry. The Elevator Pitch was succinct and to the point, making the case for Dividend in the time it would take to travel about 10 stories in a lift.
Color Palette 
The color palette was developed to emphasize that Dividend is a trustworthy and secure financial organization that is also very tech-forward and innovative. Pale sage and navy blue suggest stability, and, when paired with mint green, slyly hint at the color of money. The proprietary Dividend Blue offers clear skies and limitless potential. Terracotta, sand, and white add subtle variety without losing the seriousness of a financial institution.
Graphic Elements 
Dividend had traditionally embraced illustrations to avoid the inherent phoniness of stock images with unrealistically smiling models posed as contractors and homeowners. But with the launch of the new brand, it was time to reimagine the illustration style – this time in a more serious, almost editorial direction. Very thin lines and negative space to suggest background elements keep the scene refined and clutter-free. Each illustration has a key element, such as solar panels or the physical elements of a remodeled home, highlighted in Dividend Blue to put the focus on the end product.
The graphics representing the user-interface screens within the product were also refreshed with a clean, simplified look to give potential users a peek inside Dividend’s proprietary technology without giving too much away. Certain elements and details from the product, such as applications, approvals, and loan calculators, were pulled out and paired with illustrations to emphasize how intertwined Dividend’s technology is in the financing process.
Several playful line patterns were also introduced to add dimension to illustrations and user-interface graphics. Each pattern was modeled after guilloche linework, which we often see on printed currency, adding to the financial institution aspect.
Finally, VSSL created the “Dividend Seal”, a graphic that partners could use on their own materials to assure homeowners their project would be financed by the best: Dividend!
Who They Really Are 
The strength of the Dividend brand derives from the fact that it’s not aspirational, but who they really are today: an organization that’s earned its trust by making its commitment to its partners and their customers the foundation of their business. In other words, Dividend built its brand through its everyday actions. VSSL’s job was to discover and define that brand around who this client truly is, which is how the best brands endure.

<h4>Overview</h4>
“Trustworthy”. If there was a single idea that presided over the brand development work for VSSL client Dividend, it was the sense of trustworthiness that their approach to doing business engendered between Dividend, Dividend’s partners in solar installation and home improvement, and the homeowners that Dividend’s partners worked with. This is the story of how VSSL came to understand the unique lending-industry lane that Dividend had paved for itself and developed a brand to reflect who the company truly was.

Building a brand for a business built on trust

Overview

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Building a brand for a business built on trust

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