Blue Hills Bank

Blue Hills Bank understands how important it is for small business owners to have a financial partner who truly gets to know them and their unique needs. In a business banking campaign featuring real customers and their bankers, these stories are put front and center through photo and video shoots specifically art-directed to hero their businesses.

Role

Design
Art Direction
Motion Design

Objective

Position Blue Hills Bank not just as a standard financial institution, but as a genuine, invested partner to the local business community. We needed to cut through the traditionally dry landscape of B2B financial marketing by spotlighting real success stories.

Approach

By focusing on the authentic relationships between business owners and their bankers, we captured the unique energy of each business through a blend of professional portraiture and environmental storytelling.  Blue Hills Bank’s existing clean branding style works perfectly as a blank canvas for these stories to shine.

Chris R. of The Fairmount Grille needed a business bank that feels as local and community-driven as his restaurant, one that understands the neighborhood and supports the people who keep it thriving.
I captured the vibe of a casual bistro using rustic industrial furniture and materials, while the hand-drawn brunch announcement adds a warm, personal touch.
Travis G. of Grillo’s Pickle wanted a bank that would not take him for a ride and could keep up with the pace of his growing business, which started as a pickle cart and now sits in multiple grocery chains.
The set reflects Travis's outgoing personality. Since the original pickle cart he brought to the set was already bursting with character, I chose to complement it simply with crates of vibrant vegetables.
Elizabeth H. of Top It Off helps women find beautiful accessories. She wanted a banking partner that could connect her with the right financial products for the seasonal cycles of the fashion industry.
With the clothing merchandise featuring preppy coastal fabrics and patterns, the display props were kept white or neutral to avoid clashing with the nautical blue and green color scheme.

Set Design & Execution

Due to budget and time constraints, visiting each business location wasn't feasible, but this limitation actually shaped the art direction. By executing all three shoots in one studio space and utilizing minimal backdrops, I focused on curated props—a mix of the entrepreneurs' personal items and sourced pieces that matched their brand's vibe. These elements were clustered to convey a sense of startup hustle and thriving energy. Additionally, these modular setups could be disassembled quickly, allowing us to seamlessly wrap all three shoots in a single day.

Result

The campaign drove a significant increase in business account inquiries. Capitalizing on this success, Blue Hills Bank secured the high-visibility back cover of The Boston Globe Sunday edition, running a series of three ads to a print circulation of nearly 100,000.

Team

CD: Sam Pitino
ACD: Joe Krikava & Harry Kniznik
Copywriter: Evangeline Condakes
Photographer: Dan Watkins