Project Information

After 30 plus years of banking, 20 in venture capital, Judith Erwin had grown increasingly disenchanted with the state of the banking industry. Management teams and boards run by middle-aged white men, handcuffed by dated technology, and functioning to support those who were already well-established, leaving young entrepreneurs and a large chunk of the innovation economy an even larger hill to climb.

When she was approached about starting a new venture bank, she took a hard look at this broken environment, and what changes were needed to really make a difference. A focus on innovation, ease of use, and client-first banking became the priority.

“Today’s young entrepreneurs are often astonished at how different the banking world is from the consumer world, which operates 24/7. You can order shampoo from Amazon.com or Target.com at midnight, so why can’t you apply for a business loan or speak with a banker? Grasshopper is looking to create the same convenience in banking that people have in shopping.”

 The Name

Grasshopper, huh? The name was inspired by the computer programming pioneer, Dr. Grace Hopper. A navy rear admiral who devised the theory of machine-independent programming languages and developed the first compiled language. If you, like me before I started this project, have no idea what that means, she essentially created the first programming language that translated human-readable language like Java or C++ into machine code.

So how does this translate to banking? Grace Hopper’s compiled language led to the development of COBOL, which has 220 billion lines of code still in use today. It is the foundation of 43% of all banking systems, handles $3 trillion of daily commerce, and 95% of all ATM swipes. It is quite literally the language that forms the foundation of the banking industry.

 The Challenge

Stuck somewhere between a neobank and traditional charter bank, how do we create a brand that highlights Grasshopper's unique offering of being both, but neither? The charter allows for more profit, which in turn allows Grasshopper the ability to provide smaller loans for startups and young entrepeneurs. Businesses that may have never been able to get off the ground due to finincial constraints now have an opportunity.

We want to create a brand that means more than just financial support. We want to be a platform, a spotlight for these entrepeneurs, and their unique offerings. Because no one's progress should be limited, and their future could mean the next big innovation.

The Mark

The inspiration for the Grasshopper mark came from the act of signing a check. A signature so abstract from years of scrawling, that it's lost it's letters entirely and just become an irreplicable representation of you.  WIth the signature, I wanted the G to come through, but the rest becomes an abstract grasshopper. The wordmark has a formal and informal representation depending on usecase, with the latter's "G" form becoming a grasshopper's head itself. With this identity system, the goal is to be flexible, yet structured; allowing for formality when it calls for it, but showing a ton of personality when given the opportunity.

THE IDEA

Look to the behavior of TV before DVR, and launch a weekly show. School of Guac, led by our host–Hallie Peño, was our take on an after-school special meets variety program meets satirical news program. Our audience: HS and college kids craving some mid-afternoon Chipotle.

THE EXECUTION

The premiere season of School of Guac ran for 11 episodes, including a Halloween special, on-the-ground Election Day coverage, and other cultural milestones, such as Thanksgiving and Cyber Monday. Each episode was teased and promoted on our other social channels with trailers, cutdowns and even re-runs.