Visual Systems & Brand Foundation at Uploan
Industry
Fintech, B2C/B2B, Financial Wellness
Client
Savii (formerly Uploan)
Role
Creative Design Lead
The go-to guy for Visual Communication, Brand Guidelines, and Internal Systems
Date
Apr 2020 - Jan 2021
Live Site
When I joined Uploan (later rebranded to Savii), there were no visual guidelines in place. As the lead creative on the marketing team, I took charge of all visual communications—serving both B2C and B2B arms. Working closely with the product and content teams, I established the foundation for Uploan’s first brand guidelines and created a visual system that helped us scale our output as our client base grew.
Overview
When I joined Uploan (later rebranded to Savii), there were no visual guidelines in place. As the lead creative on the marketing team, I took charge of all visual communications—serving both B2C and B2B arms. Working closely with the product and content teams, I established the foundation for Uploan’s first brand guidelines and created a visual system that helped us scale our output as our client base grew.
problems + goals
Uploan was scaling fast, but had no design governance—marketing visuals were inconsistent, production was inefficient, and communication between departments was fragmented.
Goals:
Create visual consistency across internal and external brand assets.
Reduce design-production friction for marketing campaigns.
Build alignment between content, product, and creative.
Lay the groundwork for a full brand system.
Support internal education through media like podcasting.
process
Conducted an internal audit of existing visuals and identified inconsistencies.
Partnered with content leads to align tone and brand presence across all touchpoints.
Designed and documented brand guidelines for typography, color, layout, iconography, and visual storytelling.
Created templated assets (slide decks, social media kits, posters, etc.) to streamline marketing production.
Aligned product and marketing teams to ensure consistency across in-app UI and outbound communication.
Managed visual delivery for all client-facing materials during a period of rapid expansion.
Co-produced Uploan’s internal Financial Wellness podcast, overseeing scheduling, post-production, and visual identity for the series.
outcome
Reduced creative production time by 40% through standardized assets.
Enabled faster onboarding of new marketing staff with brand documentation.
Strengthened brand consistency across product and marketing teams.
Supported a smoother transition during the company’s rebrand to a more consistent Uploan.
Helped scale marketing communication during a sharp increase in client volume.
key takeaways
Building a brand system early—even a lightweight one—pays off as a startup scales.
Deep collaboration with product and content leads to stronger, more consistent messaging.
Sometimes internal tools like slide decks or a podcast do more for culture than a billboard ever could.
