Deerwood Bank celebrates their 100th year anniversary on March 22nd, 2010 at the original and founding branch in Deerwood, MN. Even with this longstanding involvement in our communities financial marketplace, they firmly understand the importance online customer service moving into their second century for their customers.
It’s a long standing understanding that Deerwood Bank appreciates to zig, while other banks zag. We’ve always enjoyed their bank culture and brand voice in radio, newsprint, and point of purchase products. When it came to their website the same rules applied. I recall John Ohlin, president of Deerwood Bank, saying in the first website meeting, “We want a website, but not a bank website.” We couldn’t agree more, and that statement was our founding vision in this redesign.
The picture you see directly below was inspired during our first website meeting with Deerwood Bank. I’ve always enjoyed this picture as it captures the purity of placing what mattered most taped to an actual monitor. 
Our motto here at RedHouseMedia is: Great design doesn’t happen when you sit down in front of a computer. Great design starts in your head, then you sit down and tell the computer what to do. After all, the point of design is to not make things look cool, the point of design is to move your target audience to your predisposed end goal. In other words, design for success.
Another absolutely cool element of Deerwood Bank’s new website is the background photo. The photo actually changes throughout the day! Our production partner Faster Solutions was able to code the site accordingly, incredible. Another element that personally excites me about the background photos is I captured these photos while on a fishing trip over 6 years ago. I still recall creeping down to the waters edge and snapping the same shot of the same lake at different times of the day for the sole purpose of some day, some how, this will come in handy. Turns out it did. I always thought lake photos looked more impressive right down eye level to the water line. Kind of like a turtle peaking up above the water and taking a quick peak of what’s going on.
In terms of the overall design feel and impression, we aimed to create a site that was not confined to the typical website box. Design without a box. make the entire site an important aspect of it’s background.
Other fun elements on this website design are the home page billboards allowing us to message multiple products for our banking partner, the super cool contact us page with visual navigation, and for certain the full integration of social media into Deerwood Bank’s online culture. Speaking of social media, fan Deerwood Bank on facebook, and they will donate $1 to stock the local Second Harvest North Central Food Bank.
One of my personal favorite design options on Deerwood Bank’s new website is the Quick Links sidebar. Why I like this is simple. No matter where you are on the Deerwood Bank website you always know how to get back to what’s most important, your money. Access your account here. Love it. Lastly, you need to click here. Now, scroll on the way to the bottom of the page and look for the lifejacket. Click the lifejacket. 
Wasn’t that fun? Again, a small touch that goes a long way.
I need to personally give Dain A. Erickson, Art Director of RedHouseMedia our tip of the hat on this project as he took the design challenges on with zest and resolve. He took it personal, and still does, that this website properly reflects the brand of Deerwood Bank. The 100 year bank with all the answers.
About the Author
Aaron Hautala As creative director of RHM, Aaron believes the impossible isn't. The next time you see him, ask Aaron about Helsinki and swimming in the Baltic Sea after an extremely hot sauna. It’s a good story! 
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