Elements
The Credit Card: Radically Redesigned
Capital One came to ISL with a revolutionary new credit card. But it needed a name, a brand, a story, and an activation to announce it to the world at SXSW… in 42 days. Unlike your average credit card, it featured a radically new shape, a dozen different finishes and an absence of what most people would think of as branding.
We explored a variety of branding and ultimately landed on:
It’s your credit card, it should look that way. Your signature belongs on the front.
Project Elements put ISL's strategic, technological, and creative capabilities to the test, merging interactive design, software engineering, industrial design, and much more.
Brand Strategy
The strategy behind the card needed to highlight the card owner, not the credit card company. We explored a variety of directions, but decided the beauty of the cards and the elements they are made of really speak for themselves. This realization led us to design and produce everything from the iOS application, videos and physical activation space around the card elements and the signature on them – extraordinary, sleek and personalized.
Your Card. Your Style.
Developing a brand that could translate to a live activation, website and packaging required a unique creative mindset.
From Web To Wallet
A key piece of the activation was allowing users to sign-up for the waitlist for the credit card. The demand on-site was high, but we wanted users anywhere to join the list from anywhere. A simple two-page microsite that highlighted the card elements, featured digestible FAQs and allowed users to sign-up for the waitlist did just the trick. A social media campaign as well as hand outs at SXSW drove traffic to the website.
See the Site
To create an experience that was as smooth as possible, we leveraged native Swift code with Apple frameworks. The 3D card render relies on SceneKit to create a fun interaction.
Sign. Laser Cut. Repeat.
SXSW is filled with crazy activations. We had to think of a way to draw people in, keep them there for 2-3 minutes and give them something worth keeping.
We built an iOS system that allowed users to browse Elements credit cards, using an Apple pencil to provide their personal signature. It then rendered (in real-time) onto a card on a large display. After submitting their signature, it was sent directly to an on-site laser engraver that engraved their signature onto a notebook – a truly unique takeaway for each individual; no two were alike!
SXSW Activation
Crafted to Perfection
A SXSW Hit
12,000 attendees experienced the activation.
The ultimate goal was to create a truly unique, personalized solution – one that puts the power in the consumers hands and advocates for individuality. With dozens of designs and a unique identifier (i.e. your signature) on every card, no two are alike. Users walked away with something personal to them, not just another SXSW freebie. A brand. An experience. And a credit card. Radically reconsidered.