Reimagining the Chase credit card suite and onboarding experience
With a new Chase masterbrand vision introduced in 2020, frog partnered with various Chase product teams to create a suite of modernised credit cards that fit seamlessly together, amplify the Chase brand and make the material qualities stand out amongst their US competitors.
As my very first program at frog, I swiftly familiarized myself with the JPMC card visual design ecosystem in order to ensure design consistency that aligns with the JPMC and Chase masterbrand. Each card product possesses its own unique visual identity system, tailored to its core user archetype, to maintain brand cohesion and enhance user relatability.
Product Development
Production Design
Material Design
Hi-fidelity Print Prototyping
Design Research
Brand Strategy
Moodboard & Concepting
Visual Identity Systems
2020-2021 Summary
Chase Slate Edge
I jumped in to continue frog’s work in envisioning the card’s production materiality design and welcome kit materials for Chase’s new product “Granite” that reflects the forward-thinking, optimistic nature of the brand and positions Chase as an ally to customers in helping them continue to build credit. Working with our copywriter, we ensured the language and visual content aligns with the proper legal characterisation of the card benefits.
Chase Freedom
Chase Sapphire
Sapphire 2023
Card & Packaging Design
JPMC wanted to update the card art to unify the suite of Sapphire cards and to compliment their new Sapphire marketing campaign developed by their agency partner, Droga. frog created new design experiences for both the Preferred and Reserve tiers of card while exploring how Reserve concepts translate into physical packaging and a shift towards a digital-forward experience.
In this program, I joined the team as Associate Design Director, Visual Design to rapidly conceptualise and design card art options. I also utilised my subject matter expertise from past card art programs in designing for CMYK print on metal material.
Product Development
Production Design
Material Design
Hi-fidelity Print Prototyping
Design Research
Brand Strategy
Moodboard & Concepting
Visual Identity Systems
Over the course of 10 weeks, the frog team developed a huge range of card design concepts and packaging options with expert industrial design considerations when designing on the embedded metal and metal veneer materials.
Final Concepts Presented
1: Radiant Gem Fields
A through-line to Sapphire’s current brand language, Radient Gem Fields evolves the fractals of the Sapphire stone and begins to develop an elegant visual language based on the various cuts of gemstone. Emblematic of the Experience Maximizer’s life of exploration, curiosity and discovery, the result is a textural story of transformation, topography and material carving.
THE INTENTION — A modern interpretation of the fractal that creates a premium feel via intricate pattern work with subtle connections to past expressions of Sapphire cards.
THE VIBES — Consideration to detail. Human and vibrant. Curious.
D1: Symmetrical (Design by Vidhi)
D2: Asymmetrical (Design by Vidhi)
2: Aspirational Gems
Always seeking out their next adventure, the Experience Maximizer finds joy and fulfillment in the explosion of life. This territory explores a tactile collection of the feelings and emotions of those experiences. A digital detox, these layers of souvenirs and mementos absorb the full and vivid world of Sapphire - forming a composition that is real and visceral.
THE INTENTION — Creating a premium feel similar to jewelry and decorative objects, Aspirational Gems makes the Sapphire gem the hero, giving the customer a feeling of owning a unique object from the Sapphire world.
THE VIBES — Iconic digital currency, dynamic, decorative and accessorized.
D3: Raw Gem (Design by Krishna & Trisha)
D4: Refined Gem ( (Design by Krishna & Justine)
D5: Graphic Gem (Design by Jenny)
3: Experiential Surfaces
Always seeking out their next adventure, the Experience Maximizer finds joy and fulfillment in the explosion of life. This territory explores a tactile collection of the feelings and emotions of those experiences. A digital detox, these layers of souvenirs and mementos absorb the full and vivid world of Sapphire - forming a composition that is real and visceral.
THE INTENTION — Experiential Surfaces explores the feeling of the promise of the Sapphire in your hand every time you pick up the card. Creating a premium feel by amplifying an intense pop culture feel.
THE VIBES — Tactile, crafted, visceral, warm, inviting and playful.
D6: Albers Quilt (Design by Trisha & Vidhi)
D7: Visceral Collage (Design by Trisha & Justine)
Prototype Production
Utilising my expertise (aka superpowers) in print materiality production, I led production phase with guiding the frog designers in translating our rapid concepts and complex digital designs into CMYK Illustrator production-ready files with detailed swatches, layer labelling, and special effect notes to ensure clarity of information for our prototyping partners.
To help the client and frog designers understand how CMYK ink densities and viscosity react to a metal surface, I created a “Production Cheat Sheet” with the Chase and Sapphire campaign colours printed on metal veneer sheet. This impactful artefact was greatly informative in our client approval as well as designer thought process.
Illustrator file production design
frog delivered Illustrator production-ready hand off files with detailed swatches, layer labelling, and client feedback notes to ensure clarity of information for our manufacturing partners. This level of detail was greatly appreciated and noted by both prototyping partners, A2A and CompoSecure during our onsite visits.
Physical card testing
frog helped develop physical card prototypes with Chase’s card manufacturing partner, CompoSecure, along with a focused testing plan on core audience groups for Chase to conduct. Physical card testing helped Chase understand card materiality production perception, look and feel, and how the card is resonates with audience groups. We tested our designs on metal veneer and on plastic materials.
Product Design & Development
frog’s early explorations in physical product design considered the full credit card experience and took nothing as a given. Starting from the bare bones we considered the weight of the card, the orientation, the texture, and the sound of the card when dropped. We also drew inspiration from currency, habit driving objects like fidget spinners, and luxury clothing to push the boundaries of card design. In addition to materiality, frog dove deep into the many technical features, regulations, and restrictions that impact credit card design to make sure all our ideas were feasible and to build a holistically improved product.
Sample Development
Despite being a flat surface, credit cards are physical objects which react with light in dynamic ways as they are held. Prototyping was a fundamental aspect of frogs’ explorations and client reviews. frog’s in-house prototyping capabilities and partnership with a local print shop enabled us to take the concepts to the next level and meld the physical and visual qualities of the concepts together. The process of prototyping also moved frog closer to having press-ready artwork than we would have had if we'd been designing only for the screen.
