Every year, 281 million migrants around the globe send almost $1 trillion home to their families in low- and middle-income countries. The money they send provides loved ones with everything from food and housing to education and investments. But sending this money is expensive and insecure. UNCDF Migrant Money works with partners across the public and private sector to ensure that migrants and their families have access to safe, affordable remittance services.
Challenge
Ambitious and agile, UNCDF Migrant Money thinks like a fintech startup, and needed to expand its private-sector collaborations. The brand, which utilized generic stock photography and icons, was in need of a refresh – including a new website with streamlined messaging, improved SEO and better access to its research and thought leadership. However, as an initiative within the UN system, their identity needed to leverage and support the established UNCDF brand and maintain appeal to its more traditional stakeholders like regulators and policymakers.
Key Insight
The initiative had previously been known as the Migration and Remittances team – which was a mouthful, and used inconsistently. We started by making a foundational name change to UNCDF Migrant Money, giving clarity to their area of expertise and focusing on the people they empower. The strategy was then to infuse innovation into their sub-brand with a few simple brand "moves" that used familiar elements of the parent brand in new ways.
Solution
Utilizing UNCDF's signature dark blue color and clear typography, we added vibrant blue and red accent colors, as well as custom illustration and icons to make UNCDF Migrant Money stand out among its peers. We worked with illustrator Rose Wong — whose dynamic style bridges the humanity and the precision of UNCDF Migrant Money's work — to create a library of scenes that highlight the diversity of global migrants, and the success of digital transactions and services. A distinctive visual motif within the brand is the division of spaces and content using different color backgrounds. We used these color fields, or planes, as visual metaphors for nation states, and the borders that divide them — separating migrants from their families. Bold headlines and data visualizations throughout materials confidently communicate their activities and results.
Impact
Since the launch of the new brand and website, site traffic has risen and users are spending more time on the site, with 60% more visitors and double the average monthly pageviews following the relaunch.