The USAA Educational Foundation

Branding · UX/UI Design · Website · App Design · Educational Materials

Financial education can feel abstract — especially for young service members navigating life, pay, and deployment for the first time.
The USAA Educational Foundation’s mission is “to lead and inspire actions that improve financial readiness for the military community.”
Our job: build a system — visual, digital, and behavioral — that simplifies complex financial topics and helps service members and their families make smarter decisions with confidence.

The Challenge

The Foundation had an important mission but fragmented tools.
Their visual identity looked academic and outdated.
Their web experience was text-heavy and lacked focus.
Their educational materials didn’t always fit the pace of military life — moving, deploying, new ranks, base to base.

They needed to bridge three things:

  1. Trust — honoring the Foundation’s mission and their military-community audience

  2. Clarity — translating finance into plain language, military-specific context

  3. Relevance — building tools that actually fit the rhythms of service life

The Solution: Design for Real Life

We rebuilt the Foundation’s identity and tools from the ground up — visually, strategically, and experientially.

Brand Identity

The new brand system needed to feel connected to the Foundation’s mission and serious purpose — but also approachable and action-oriented.

  • Logo- and symbol system representing support, progression, readiness

  • Color palette rooted in trustworthy blue tones, with clear accents for action

  • Typography balancing accessibility and modernity

  • Tone of voice: intelligent, grounded, empowering — never simplified or patronising

  • Design system built to scale across digital, print, and app interfaces

Website Redesign

A fresh digital experience focused on usability, clarity, mobility and accessibility for active duty, veterans, spouses, and families.

Key features:

  • Modular, mobile-first design organized by life event (deployment, transition, moving, new family)

  • Clear language, intuitive navigation, digestible content

  • Interactive calculators, videos, downloadable guides

  • Accessibility built in for all users

  • Storytelling through visuals, not just blocks of text

Mobile App: Rank-Based Budgeting Tool

We designed a budgeting app built specifically for service members and military life:

  • Input rank, branch, pay grade, benefits

  • Auto-calculate income, allowances, taxes

  • Set savings goals based on rank or life stage

  • Simulate “what if” scenarios (promotion, relocation, deployment)

  • Interface designed for clarity, speed, and use on the move

Educational Materials

Print and digital learning assets designed for real-life use:

  • Workbooks, guides for various life events

  • Infographics that simplify complex topics (benefits, retirement, debt)

  • Event materials for base workshops and outreach

  • Templates for social media, digital learning, facilitator guides

My Role

  • Led brand identity development and visual system for the Foundation

  • Oversaw website UX/UI, wireframes, design, and rollout

  • Designed mobile app interface and user experience for rank-based budgeting

  • Developed print and digital educational materials aligned with the brand system

  • Directed visual consistency and creative alignment across all touchpoints

  • Collaborated with subject-matter experts to align design with educational goals

Why It Worked

The branding and tools gave the Foundation the platforms it needed:

  • A unified brand voice and look that supports their purpose

  • Educational tools that feel purposeful, professional and usable — not bulky or generic

  • A digital presence that fits military life — mobile, modular, straightforward

  • A budgeting app that finally treated service-member finances with specificity and respect

It wasn’t just design for finance — it was design for life in uniform.

Impact

  • The Foundation’s brand appears consistently across web, mobile, print and social

  • Engagement rose for learning modules and digital tools thanks to improved usability

  • Financial-readiness education tailored for military life now has a stronger platform

  • The mobile app gave service members a budgeting tool that spoke their language

This wasn’t about giving someone a brochure.
It was about giving them tools to navigate changing uniforms, changing pay grades, changing lives.