CIC Sam Character

Having been at Check Into Cash for some years, I decided to try and breathe some new life into their store and online collateral with a character named Sam. Using an illustration like Sam instead of a stereotypical depiction of what CIC thinks a customer looks like allowed the customer to project themselves directly onto the figure, becoming closer to the product and brand. The new illustration was a great tool because it helped speak to all levels of consumer, regardless of race, sex, income-bracket, or education, without alienating any one segment, or trying to appeal to too broad a consumer group with the use of racially analogous stock photo models. The use of illustration also brought a sense of levity to the serious financial products and the sometimes disparaging situations of consumers in a way that was caring and assuring, in contrast with basic stock imagery that passively addresses the sensitive subject of income and loan services