COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo.–The merged credit union created by the merger of Colorado-based Ent Credit Union and Minnesota-based Wings Credit Union has unveiled a new logo even as the two CUs will now operate under the Wings brand.
As the CU Daily reported earlier, the $10.3 billion Ent CU in Colorado Springs, Colo. has approximately 577,000 members, while the $9.47 billion, Minnesota-based Wings Financial has approximately 377,000 members. The two CUs are approximately 1,000 miles apart. The combined credit union is being led by Chad Graves, current president and CEO of Ent Credit Union.
‘Months-Long Design Process’
Amy Nigrelli, Ent’s chief marketing officer, told the Gazette the differences between the previous Wings emblem and the new one might not be immediately apparent, but changes in the color palette, lettering and graphics are the result of a months-long design process,
“We talked to thousands of members in surveys and focus groups,” Nigrelli told the Gazette. “Our member view us a warm, friendly and approachable. We wanted a logo that represented that.”
Logo designer Sarah Berkheimer told the Gazette multiple design iterations were produced over a several months, with periodic testing.
Testing Before ‘Thousands’
“Once we had multiple options that we felt good about, we put those into testing with thousands of folks — members, employees and even prospects,” Berkheimer, design director for Cactus Communications, told the publication. “We wanted to deliver a new brand and visual identity that (Ent and Wings members) could embrace and be proud of.”
Nigrelli said the decision to adopt the Wings name was part of the give-and-take process in the merger.
Attempt at ‘Balance’
“A merger of equals is kind of like when two people get married,” Nigrelli told the Gazette. “We decided to take the name Wings, in part, because we can’t to balance out the equity in the relationship.”
The Wings name also serves to recognize the two credit unions’ shared history in aviation. Wings was originally founded in 1938 as the Northwest Airlines Employees Credit Union, while Ent was established in 1957 to serve military and civilian personnel assigned to Ent Air Force Base (now the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Training Center.
Payouts to Senior Execs
As the CU Daily reported here, the merger also included millions of dollars in payouts to senior execs with Wings Credit Union, including more than $7 million in payouts to Wings’ CEO and millions more to other executives, as well as benefits for board members.
