Turning Heads at Rangeline Crossing

Mobile, AL

PROJECT OVERVIEW Reading Time: < 1 minute

New Horizons Credit Union looks to the future.

Located in a bustling shopping plaza in Mobile, Alabama, New Horizons Credit Union wanted their new Rangeline Crossing location to stand out in the crowd. With a compact 1,000-sq. ft. footprint, the local credit union initially thought their options were limited — a straightforward teller line, some offices in the back — until the Element team helped them consider some innovative new solutions. The big question: Were their existing members ready for high-tech banking?

After talking through some concepts with the New Horizons team and hearing their hesitations, we identified three primary goals we wanted to achieve with this branch build:

  • Increased speed of service
  • Improved accessibility for all members
  • Clear differentiation in the Mobile financial services market

Luckily, New Horizons was ready to hear some new ideas.

Client

  • New Horizons Credit Union

Financial Institution Type

  • Credit union branch

Features

  • Branch construction
  • Branding
  • Technology integration
  • Interior design
  • Signature elements

Deliverables

  • Branded environmental graphics
  • Technology-centric design
  • New transactional delivery method

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The exterior of a credit union storefront with light gray pillars, black window awnings, and three-dimensional signage reading “New Horizons Credit Union” in white, uppercase letters.
The Teller Pod and one wall of the New Horizons lobby. The Teller Pod is white with a light blue horizontal stripe and a yellow logo of a sailboat on the front. The wall is white and features a recessed video screen set into a panel of light blond wood. A chandelier made of clear glass globes hangs from the ceiling. A white wall in the New Horizons lobby features two rows of framed photographs of local and oceanside scenes. Two chairs, one yellow and one blue, sit in front of the photographs with a small, round white table between them holding a jar of lollipops. A wall featuring broad abstract stripes of orange, light green, and deep blue, a panel of blond wood, and a white sign reading “Solutions for the real world,” the New Horizons tagline. The wood panel contains a recessed video screen displaying the words “Welcome to New Horizons Credit Union” and a yellow button that says “Tap to continue.” A glass-walled corner office containing a tan swivel chair and a desk, as viewed from the hallway outside. Two pale gray couches sit side by side along the hallway wall, and a row of slim glass pendant lights lines the ceiling. The front doors of the lobby can be seen beyond the hallway in the background.

The Challenge

In recent years, the New Horizons team had noticed a decline in the quality of their service. Both staff and members needed more support; staff needed better technology to increase efficiency, and members needed more productive face-to-face interactions with tellers and advisors.

Prior to starting to develop the Rangeline Crossing location, New Horizons’ leadership hadn’t planned on breaking with tradition. They were concerned that the public wouldn’t connect with new technology solutions intended to make both members’ and tellers’ lives easier. At the same time, they didn’t want this new build to be… “just there.”

New Horizons came to The Element Group with open minds and a willingness to explore all kinds of options — on the condition that Rangeline Crossing still felt like a local branch.

The lobby of New Horizons Credit Union at Rangeline Crossing. In the foreground is a white Teller Pod with a horizontal light blue stripe and a yellow logo of a sailboat on the front. The walls are white and feature framed photographs of local and oceanside scenes. Two chairs sit against one wall, one blue, the other yellow. The room extends back under an awning made of pale blond wood slats.
A wall featuring broad abstract stripes of orange, light green, and deep blue, a panel of blond wood, and a white sign reading “Solutions for the real world,” the New Horizons tagline. The wood panel contains a recessed video screen displaying the words “Welcome to New Horizons Credit Union” and a yellow button that says “Tap to continue.”

Every Bit Matters

Today, New Horizons Credit Union at Rangeline Crossing is a strategically placed, top-performing community branch with coastal design touches and a bright, welcoming atmosphere. The new space supports and fosters relationship-building between staff and members and sets the branch apart from other local financial institutions — not least of all with its innovative Teller Pod containing an integrated cash recycler.

Besides successfully introducing new technology and branded elements to New Horizons’ membership, a major highlight of this project was the collaboration between our teams. We managed to strike a balance between honoring New Horizons’ banking traditions and pushing the envelope when it came to future-ready services. Our collaboration was easily the most rewarding deliverable of this project.

Now, the New Horizons branch at Rangeline Crossing is more than “just there” — it’s a place where members and staff can make meaningful connections that enhance the overall banking experience.

It's always good when you can partner with a team or vendor and it just clicks. It was a great collaboration — Element really listened, and they were very responsive. I don't think anybody in Mobile is going to have what we have.
Edith Franklin
President & CEO
New Horizons Credit Union