When I first opened my business in Pleasanton, I joined the Pleasanton Chamber of Commerce and almost immediately met Bernie Billen, who at the time was employed by Bay Commercial Bank. She connected me to their Chief Operating Officer, who hired Insignia to create new interior signs for their downtown Pleasanton branch.
Recently, the bank underwent an ownership change, name change, and branch expansion. It is now known as United Business Bank and Bernie serves as Senior Vice President and Branch Manager.
In light of the transition, the team at UBB recognized that to retain the confidence of their existing customers, they needed to undergo a quality re-branding effort. For them, that meant engaging Insignia Designs to manage the signage portion of the transition project: a concept branding redesign of all interior and exterior signage for their 10 Northern California locations.

I’m not kidding- this was a huge job, even though the new branding offered opportunities for consistent messaging and signage materials. The challenge was that the locations were all configured differently and were scattered across the Greater Bay Area: Napa, Stockton (2), Oakland, Mountain View, Livermore, Castro Valley, Pleasanton, San Jose, and Walnut Creek.

For each location, we completed all site surveys, took photos and measurements, and designed specs of the current sign configurations to evaluate modification requirements for each location. We then took the new logo from their branding schematics and developed proofs with detailed elevation drawings. Following client approval, I worked directly with the building department for each of the cities to obtain permits and coordinated with and obtained approvals from every property manager and landlord.

In all, the entire project took six months to complete. Not just because no two cities have the same permitting process, but because each branch presented with a unique combination of signage needs: not only exterior marquees, but also interior lobby and window signage – and the little details, like way-finding signs, that no one sees but relies upon: lobby signs, door graphics, parking signs. In Pleasanton alone, we created 12 designated parking lot signs. Each had to be surveyed, proofed, fabricated, and the old signs removed prior to installation.
Regardless of the complexities of any job, the cool thing for me is working with my clients to take their plan from concept to reality. Making my customers happy is the top priority, and the United Business Bank team was a blast. They understand the value of visual marketing and it was a pleasure to help them rebrand in a way that instilled confidence in their existing clients while attracting new ones.

Think your business might benefit from a signage refresh or comprehensive rebranding campaign? Then let’s talk! Contact us here