11 years ago one of Musubi’s leaders sat at a cafe on Bourke Street in Melbourne and looked at a bank branch and was struck at the poor visual hierarchy, poor branch design and layout, and outdated identity.

He called the CEO of Savings & Loans and spoke to him about how the branch presentation isn’t helping the street presence. A week later he had a meeting with their leadership team and was briefed about how Savings & Loans is merging with Australian Central Credit Union. A week later he had a proposal that offered a roadmap to rebrand and develop a new branch design. That resulted in People’s Choice Credit Union.

The branch interiors were designed to appeal to a market that demands greater responsibility towards the future and demonstrates human centred intelligence. Through the brand strategy stages, we discovered the members chose ACCU / Savings and Loans because they were socially conscious.

This became a theme we expressed through materials, lighting, and space planning. We also bucked the trend of not having coffee machines within the branches as that trend was taking trade away from local cafes. This small decision speaks to People’s Choice’s commitment to being a responsible brand.

We succeeded in creating a new and united space for members to feel welcome and apart of a community. We helped:

• Challenge traditional banking formats, and expectations

• Examine the role of technology in banking, how it can improve the member experience and member journey in-store

• Balance the low-tech, tactile human experience with high-tech virtual ones, ensuring a holistic approach to service

• Enhance the member ‘banking experience’ by providing both effective functional support and service, alongside innovation and the unexpected

• Provide an effective and flexible backdrop for brand promotion, media & messaging

• Surprise the community and exceed expectations

• Engage with the local and respect the individual

• Provide a new and exciting community hub

• Welcome existing members and intrigue potential ones

• Use honest materiality and offer transparent communication

• Allow each member to customise their own service experience