ABOUT

Ramp is a fintech company working in finance automation through its software and corporate credit card. It has been named North America’s most innovative company as rated by Fast Company, and in 2022 was New York’s fastest growing startup. Their products are targeted at organisations interested in transforming the way they manage and spend money.

Ramp came to us needing visual assets to help them launch their new corporate credit card and accompanying software. The content needed to be sophisticated, cutting edge and, at its core, clearly summarising Ramp’s offering across digital and social platforms, living in the contemporary financial services space whilst still retaining a premium, B2B edge, speaking confidently and clearly to CEOs, Managing Directors, Financial Directors and Accountants – and their teams. A key USP of Ramp’s offering is around how portable and flexible their software is for businesses, so we were given the direction that these images didn’t necessarily need to live in a typical business environment. They wanted to connect with their consumers on a relatable level and include interior spaces that felt lived in rather than a fully artificial, staged set. In addition to this, all the content still needed to be aspirational, evoking the successful life that utilising Ramp could offer – and allow customers to enjoy.

Taking a few references from Ramp , we worked to develop the tone and composition of the images. It was clear the human element of these images would be what allowed customers to connect with the brand, and we sought to weave that throughout our work. Whilst the product images and animations needed to be uncluttered to fully hero the card and devices on which the software was being displayed, we knew there was room to bring an organic, softer tone that would allude to a more human sense. By using textures like polished marble, limewashed walls and bright, warm colours, the sets we developed all fed into the creative idea that we weren’t just working with a fintech brand, but a lifestyle brand too. Through trend analysis and audience research, we were able to distil the textures that would epitomise an aspirational lifestyle, one that wasn’t flashy or gaudy – but authentic, and human.

Whilst the product imagery sets covered the human base of the brief, through motion we were able to play on cues associated with high quality yet accessible tech brands, such as Apple. Slow, deliberate motion highlighted design elements of the cards, whilst an element of zero-gravity allowed us to communicate that this was a product slightly out of the ordinary. The end result alluded to the ease and efficiency that Ramp offers its customers.

The lifestyle imagery followed the same thread, however the overall style of these interiors needed defining to sit in line with the product sets whilst being much more detailed. We were able to efficiently style the interior spaces, in line with premium cues that would speak to the target market. Throughout this development, the theme of authenticity kept revealing itself to be crucial to the overall tone. We materialised this by keeping textures organic, lighting soft and natural, and décor stylish yet practical.

In addition to the hero animation, we developed a suite of cinemagraphs that featured subtle, barely-there movement to further the flexibility connotations. Without losing sight of the busy professional Ramp would be communicating with, these environments covered all aspects of day-to-day life for an experienced professional – with a work-life balance. From the seat of a Lyft and the tray table of a plane, to a café and outdoor bench, each setting is subtly alluded to in order to keep the clean, styled tone – rather than overdone and distract from the product being heroed.

The content is used across multiple digital touchpoints, from web and social to digital advertising campaigns. It has also been used to advertise in locations such as the NY Stock Exchange, and in other advertising comms.

This project was all-encompassing in terms of utilising our studio’s skillset. The efficiency this allowed the project was notable, with everything from initial moodboards to architectural design and motion work being kept in-house. Our architecturally trained team were able to efficiently determine the interior spaces in line with premium cues that would speak to high-income business owners and financial controllers. With skills in lighting, modelling, architecture and motion all coming in to play, this project demonstrates the team’s capabilities in both brief interpretation and producing quality, photorealistic work across the board.