Bringing professionalism to an industry event

About the project

NACUSO — the National Association of Credit Union Service Organizations — was in a state of flux. Over the last decade-plus, credit unions had become increasingly comfortable working with and investing in fintech, but the trade association with the most potential to influence and advocate for further innovation was out of the conversation.

Nowhere was that more clear than the organization's flagship annual event, Reimagine. Over time, the event had lost its gravitas; positioned visually and strategically as something "cool" and "trendy" rather than something critical.

As part of Mission Brands Consulting's work on NACUSO's broader brand strategy, we were asked to realign Reimagine to the NACUSO brand, and reposition it as a mature and vital industry event.

Background
Client
NACUSO
Category
Tags
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The challenge

  • Over the last few years, Reimagine's visual identity had descended into obscurity. It lacked any connection to NACUSO or, indeed, the credit union system.
  • Mission Brands was asked to bring a level of maturity and gravitas to the event creative; to ensure Reimagine felt as important for credit unions as it would fintech founders.
  • The goal was to elevate the conference’s presence, while ensuring it felt like a natural extension of the organization.

Our approach

We stripped NACUSO's existing creative system back to its simplest elements. It had a bright, vibrant primary color palette that, when used extensively, felt more sporadic than cohesive so we selected two tones (blue and yellow) to use primarily.

Then we adapted the core logo of interconnected circles as a graphical element that could be used at scale. Simple but impactful. Minimalist but recognizable. And most importantly, clearly NACUSO.

This approach struck a balance between familiarity and freshness, so attendees could immediately connect the conference to the organization, while the refined collateral signaled a more polished, intentional experience from the moment they engaged with it.

Project Scope

The project encompassed two primary areas of work: event branding and event collateral. On the branding side, we developed a full system including a logo, color palette, typography, design embellishments, and a brand guide to ensure consistency across all touchpoints. From there, we executed over 130 individual collateral pieces designed to support the event from pre-registration through the final day on-site. Digital deliverables—including ads, email banners, and app graphics—drove awareness and registrations leading up to the event, while presentations and a fully animated sponsorship roll kept attendees informed and engaged during it. Print materials handled all on-site wayfinding and exhibitor visibility—from large banners displaying agendas and sponsors to smaller banners, posters, and table cards guiding attendees through every station and session. Lanyards, badges, a novelty check, and wifi cards rounded out the on-site experience.

Key Deliverables

Deliverables Round 1: Event Branding

  • Logo
  • Color palette
  • Typography
  • Design embellishments
  • Brand guide

Deliverables Round 2: Event Collateral
(130+ deliverables total)

  • Digital:
    • Digital ads = used to gain awareness and registration
    • Email banners = used to gain awareness and registration
    • App graphics (icon, splash screen, banners)
    • Randy’s presentation
    • Sponsor ship roll presentation (fully animated)
  • Print:
    • Lanyard + badge designs
    • Exhibitor logo signs
    • Large banners (48x78) = used to display daily agendas, partners/sponsors, and exhibitors
    • Small banners (32x72) = used to display drink/food stations, key events
    • Small posters (23x28) = used to display key sessions and stations
    • Table cards = used to individually display each exhibitor
    • Novelty check
    • Wifi card
Our Takeaways

Every project is a learning experience. Here's what made us stronger and smarter for next time:

Defining creative alignment
Early and thorough creative alignment is one of the most valuable investments a team can make. When brand direction shifts mid-production, it creates a ripple effect across every asset in the pipeline. Establishing a clear stakeholder sign-off before execution begins keeps timelines intact and teams focused.

Expecting the unexpected
Large-scale events are dynamic by nature, and last-minute changes are part of the process. Building schedule flexibility from the start ensures that eleventh-hour adjustments to event details never compromise the quality of the final deliverables.

Prioritizing deliverables
Not all assets carry the same urgency, and this project reinforced the importance of identifying priorities early. Print deliverables—bound by lead times and vendor deadlines—need to be at the front of the queue. Establishing a clear delivery order from the start ensures the assets with the least flexibility are never the ones under the most pressure.

Outcomes and impact

High volume output


We executed over 130 individual collateral pieces designed to support the event from pre-registration through the final day on-site.

Brand foundations


We developed a full system including logo, color palette, typography, design embellishments, and a brand guide to ensure consistency across all touchpoints.

Full event experience


Design included digital campaigns leading up to the event, large-scale print materials for the event, and event collateral for attendees.

Max capacity attendance


Our design vision and execution supported a fully sold-out event, with more than 500 individuals, 150 fintech and CUSOs, and over 100 credit unions in attendance.

Working with Mission Brands Consulting was a game-changer for how Reimagine 2026 looked and felt as an industry event. Wall-to-wall, the conference felt like a true extension of who we are as an organization — professional, cohesive, and intentional.

This wasn't just down to good creative. MBC are an instrumental strategic partner of NACUSO; an organization that's helping us redefine who we are and, perhaps more importantly, how we articulate that through our marketing and events like Reimagine."
Randy Salser President and CEO, NACUSO

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