Embark

Embark

Embark

The easy way

The easy way

The easy way

to RESP.

to RESP.

to RESP.

Client

Embark

Services

Branding

Branding

Branding

Digital Experience

Digital Experience

Digital Experience

Industries

Industry

Financial Services

Financial Services

Financial Services

Project Link

Visit Project

Visit Project

Project Link

Visit Project

The easy way to RESP

For over 40 years, Embark has helped Canadian families plan for their children’s futures, managing nearly $60B in education savings. Formerly known as Knowledge First Financial, the organization undertook a complete brand transformation — evolving from a legacy financial institution into a modern, mission-driven partner for families navigating the path to higher education. With a new name, a vibrant identity, and a bold purpose, Embark sought to reintroduce itself to Canadians with clarity, confidence, and warmth.

For over 40 years, Embark has helped Canadian families plan for their children’s futures, managing nearly $60B in education savings. Formerly known as Knowledge First Financial, the organization undertook a complete brand transformation — evolving from a legacy financial institution into a modern, mission-driven partner for families navigating the path to higher education. With a new name, a vibrant identity, and a bold purpose, Embark sought to reintroduce itself to Canadians with clarity, confidence, and warmth.

The Enemy

Despite a successful launch, the new brand struggled to find its footing. Externally, the visual language and tone felt overly youthful, creating a disconnect with the brand’s financial credibility. Internally, teams faced uncertainty about how to apply and activate the brand consistently across channels and experiences.

The challenge was not to reinvent the brand yet again, but to define and refine — evolving the brand expression so it could balance trust with approachability, and ensure every touchpoint reinforced Embark’s role as a knowledgeable, optimistic partner in helping families achieve their educational goals.

Despite a successful launch, the new brand struggled to find its footing. Externally, the visual language and tone felt overly youthful, creating a disconnect with the brand’s financial credibility. Internally, teams faced uncertainty about how to apply and activate the brand consistently across channels and experiences.

The challenge was not to reinvent the brand yet again, but to define and refine — evolving the brand expression so it could balance trust with approachability, and ensure every touchpoint reinforced Embark’s role as a knowledgeable, optimistic partner in helping families achieve their educational goals.

We partnered with Embark to refine their brand from the inside out—aligning positioning, UVPs, and identity around financial expertise and human understanding. The evolution included sharpening the verbal identity and tagline for clarity, expanding the visual system with authentic photography, intuitive UI, and conceptual illustration to make complex ideas feel simple.

We partnered with Embark to refine their brand from the inside out—aligning positioning, UVPs, and identity around financial expertise and human understanding. The evolution included sharpening the verbal identity and tagline for clarity, expanding the visual system with authentic photography, intuitive UI, and conceptual illustration to make complex ideas feel simple.

For the future of families

From refreshed UX and a marketing website to logged-in experience guidance, email strategy, and content templates, every element was designed to help families feel seen, supported, and confident about their children’s futures.

From refreshed UX and a marketing website to logged-in experience guidance, email strategy, and content templates, every element was designed to help families feel seen, supported, and confident about their children’s futures.

From refreshed UX and a marketing website to logged-in experience guidance, email strategy, and content templates, every element was designed to help families feel seen, supported, and confident about their children’s futures.

Finding a Direction

With the updated brand system in place, Embark’s team gained the clarity and tools they needed to move forward with confidence. The refreshed assets and guidelines empowered teams across departments to activate the brand consistently — from market communications to owned channels and product experiences.

The result has been transformative: fewer bottlenecks, faster decision-making, and a unified brand presence that continues to build recognition and trust with Embark’s growing audience. What began as a course correction has evolved into a stronger foundation for how Embark shows up, connects, and delivers on its promise to Canadian families.

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