CenBank

the cenbank website mocked up on a laptop and smartphone screen

About the Client

CenBank is a Minnesota community bank serving Hutchinson, Ortonville, Buffalo Lake and surrounding areas since 1893. Emphasizing a friendly, neighborhood feel, CenBank strives to make clients feel valued as individuals. From agricultural and farm banking to personal loans, checking accounts and credit card offers, CenBank covers the bases when it comes to banking. Our team was proud to assist them with a website upgrade that reflects their current business goals.

Project Deliverables

  • Upgrade website visually and functionally to meet the evolving needs of the client
  • Provide an enhanced user experience for banking clients and potential new clients
  • Push the boundaries of visual design using our new FLEX Suite blocks
a screenshot of the old cenbank homepage
The original CenBank homepage

Starting Point

Starting with the original website, we constructed an enhanced site map that organizes the valuable content visitors might be looking for in a more visual way. The services the bank offers are the most important thing a visitor would be searching for, so we wanted to highlight them on the homepage and lead the visitor to click for more information on the inner pages. Additionally, we saw value in the rich history of community banking that CenBank has, so we revamped their “About” page to be a bit more interactive. Finally, we broke down the locations and the team members that work at each location into individual pages so visitors can become familiar with the banking staff.

New Website, New Look

screenshot of the new cenbank homepage
a screenshot of the checking & savings accounts page on the new cenbank website
screenshot of the new cenbank careers page

Background Shape Layers

To give the site more visual depth, we added some fun shape elements behind the photos and icons. The rounded shapes correspond with the CenBank “C” logo.

a screenshot of the homepage

Animated Icons

Every website needs CTAs (calls to action), but they don’t have to be boring. We experimented with animated icons for our CTA boxes on the CenBank site, which bring attention to the CTA and also keep the page feeling friendly and approachable.

Interactive Timeline

To highlight CenBank’s history in a more engaging way, we included a timeline with interactive elements. When you scroll, the timeline color changes. Additionally, we added a carousel to feature historical images of the bank locations through the years.

Blog Integration

One of CenBank’s requests for their updated website was to include a blog so they can post news and updates. To make it easy for them to add content to their site, we created a blog template and query loop that auto-populates with their latest content so it always stays up-to-date.

a screenshot of the news post layout

Announcer Bar

Another fun feature we included was an announcer bar which can be easily turned on and off or edited to give visitors important information immediately when they visit. This bar can be used to announce anything of importance, including hiring opportunities, branch closures for weather, or change in hours.

The Takeaway

Our team had a blast getting creative with this website. Using our new FLEX Suite tech allowed us to think outside the “block” and create a more interactive and visually pleasing experience. In addition, the crew at CenBank were a pleasure to work with. If you’re looking for a friendly neighborhood bank, check them out!

8bitstudio • For those with grand ambitions