Challenge

Wintrust sought to unify the digital presence of 15 separately chartered community banks under a cohesive brand identity. The fragmented structure created inconsistent user experiences, redundant content, and disjointed navigation. The goal was to align customer journeys, streamline content, and build a single framework that connected every community bank while maintaining their local identities.

Solution

Stakeholder interviews shaped the strategic foundation for a unified navigation model and experience architecture. A design sprint refined program scope and priorities, while a content gap assessment identified redundant assets, missing information, and SEO opportunities.

Content-managed templates were developed to standardize page structure, ensuring scalability across all Wintrust entities. A modular Web platform was built to centralize key functions, improve usability, and allow each community bank to operate within a shared, consistent framework.

Results

The unified platform extended the reach of the Wintrust brand across all community banks while preserving local differentiation. Navigation and content were consolidated, improving usability and discoverability. Centralized management reduced duplication and maintenance costs. The end result was a cohesive, scalable digital ecosystem—one that strengthened customer trust and streamlined access to products and services across the entire Wintrust network.