MADISON, Wis. – Heritage Credit Union has launched a new logo and tagline that will hopefully leave members feeling like they stepped into the sunlight. "There has been a lot of thought and planning that went into the design of our new logo. We wanted something warm and welcoming, an image that represents our membership and the many communities we serve," said HCU Marketing Director Cindy Sutherland. "Our goal in launching our new logo is to enhance the image of HCU and build our brand identity," The updated logo and tagline are just the latest changes at the $122 million credit union. Not only is there a new community charter but both the Web site and branches have also been undergoing renovations and new products are about to be rolled out. With the membership spread across four states and both rural areas and cities, the old image of a community church looked dated. HCU also wanted a logo and tagline that would appeal to both older and younger members alike. The process began in March 2002 and Sutherland actually designed the final image in-house. According to Sutherland, the new graphic represents Heritage Credit Union's traditional values and commitment to its members with a more modern look. The logo features a large H in front of a sunburst. The H of the logo stands for tradition and reflects the credit union's name while the sunburst represents the warmth in the credit union philosophy of "people helping people". "We used these warm and inviting colors so that every member will just automatically associate that sunburst with Heritage CU. It is another way for us to visually stand out from the competition," said Sutherland. Along those lines, the new tag line, "a tradition of trust", draws upon the proud heritage of the lasting relationship HCU has built with its members since 1934. "In every meeting and focus group when members and nonmembers were asked to describe a credit union in one word the word trust kept coming up," said Sutherland. "And heritage literally means tradition so it just clicked. We want to be the financial institution that members can trust will find a way to meet their needs and work with them." According to Sutherland, so far members have said they love the new look and are excited about where the credit union is headed. A new promotional campaign is in the works featuring scratch off tickets with the new logo. When members come in to redeem the prizes it will be an opportunity for HCU staffers to find out how they can assist members and maybe cross sell products. [email protected]