First Fed Highlights

Company Wide Re-brand

First Fed Bank is a mid-size bank which was founded in Port Angeles, WA in 1923. I initially started working there as a Marketing Specialist in 2017, and rose through the ranks to become the Associate Director of Design in 2024.

In 2021, at a banking conference, we learned just how many First Federal’s there were in the country and realized we had a significant problem when it came to brand differentiation, particularly in the area of Google search results. If we were going to separate ourselves from the pack, we knew it had to start with our name, so we decided to shorten it – from First Federal to First Fed, which affected everything from branch signage to letterhead.

From this:

To this:

And this:

To this:

We discussed just doing a simple name change, but it was clear we needed a full re-brand, with new colors inspired by the PNW landscape, and featuring waves and topography, which is meant to look similar to the topography of Western Washington and the Olympic Peninsula, more specifically.

Print Examples:

First Fed Water Bottle — A First Fed water bottle. I designed this about the time we rebranded and it has been a popular item ever since.

First Fed Personal Banking Brochure featuring the topographic wave in varying aspects.

First Fed Commercial postcard, featuring a wave in the shape of the topographic pattern.

Updated print ad featuring a wave in the shape of the topographic pattern, and local imagery unique to Sequim, WA.

Digital Examples:

First Fed ATM Screen — Updated First Fed ATM loading screen feat. topographic path for the bicycle in place of a loading wheel

General Digital Ad — General digital ad featuring a wave in the shape of the topographic pattern and local imagery unique to Whatcom County.

Updated First Fed webpage header featuring the topographic wave.

First Fed is currently transitioning their website from the old brand to the new. Please visit www.ourfirstfed.com/personal/checking/cash-back-checking to see an example of one of my updated pages, and compare to https://www.ourfirstfed.com/personal/checking/first-checking, which has not been updated yet.

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100th Anniversary

First Fed was established in 1923, so in 2023, we had a very important milestone to celebrate – First Fed’s 100th Anniversary. We needed a look that was similar to, but separate from our newly launched brand. Something that said “I am with them, but distinct from them.” So I developed a logo featuring our new First Fed logo, and instead of the topographic motif we used so heavily in the First Fed brand, I incorporated ferns as a sort of homage to greek laurels. It created a sense of celebration and accomplishment – and still remained completely PNW focused, which is very important to the First Fed brand.

Stage art feat. 100th logo, and our signature ferns.

Window clings feat. the 100th logo and our signature ferns.

An event and parking map, for people to easily navigate the event

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Fraud Awareness Campaign

Fraud is always a concern in banking, but lately, it is always top of mind, particularly when it comes to senior communities. So we worked cross-departmentally to create a multi-pronged campaign to educate seniors and their caregivers on what to look out for when it comes to fraud. We created a magnet, a rack card and several flyers, as well as a support section on our website to better educate on what to look out for.

Fraud Campaign Postcard, Rack Card, and Flyers

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HELOC Campaign

For every campaign, I had to think about where best to place it physically and digitally. For one such campaign, we were tasked with promoting Home Equity Lines of Credit. For this campaign, we pulled out all the stops – advertising it in the branches (using posters, flyers, and branch screens), on the website (homepage banners, multiple landing pages), and advertising (email, social media, print and digital ads across four counties).

Digital Ad for HELOC featuring the First Fed mascot, Ollie the Otter

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For brand recognition, First Fed requires a lot of swag and event signage, for which I like to feature prominent Pacific Northwest themes, when possible.

Stickers Featuring PNW Animals — First Fed Stickers Circa 2022, Featuring PNW Animals

2020 First Fed Stickers — First Fed Stickers Circa 2020, featuring things that each county would find relatable

First Fed Stickers Circa 2018, featuring landmarks and animals representative of important festivals

Little dog wearing First Fed handkerchief

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Community Support Swag

One of the best things about First Fed Bank is that they are a community bank. To communicate the support they offer to their communities, I was frequently called upon to create elements to bring attention to all the work they do. One such element is the First Fed Community T-Shirt, which features a Washington/First Fed take on an iconic band design on the front, and all the non-profits we supported on the back.

2024 Community TShirt Design, which references Taylor Swift’s “1989” album art.

2025 Community Tshirt Design, referencing the Beatles “Abbey Road” album art.

2026 Community Tshirt Design, featuring Lady Gaga’s “The Fame” album art.

First Fed Employees Wearing First Fed Community Tshirts from different years.

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PNW Book: Field Notes for Northwest Explorers

The bank was looking to open a new kids savings account and they were looking to give away something that was under $5, and that all kids ages 3 to 17 would be interested in receiving – a tough ask, for sure. I came up with the idea to develop an illustrated activity book, featuring all things Olympic Peninsula, with plants and animals that are native to this area. I thought this might be of interest to more kids than not. I was right. This book was a hit.