Bankrate Reimagines Its Brand for the Next Generation of Consumer Advocacy

Bankrate, the consumer advocate platform that has helped people make better financial decisions for more than 40 years, unveiled a new brand identity and announced the launch of a redesigned website on June 25.

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Bankrate’s new visual identity is rooted in a simple idea: financial decisions are about people, not numbers.

Developed to reflect Bankrate’s journalist-founded heritage and enduring role as a consumer advocate, the new brand identity moves away from the transactional cues typically associated with the financial service industry. Instead, it embraces warmth, humanity and craftsmanship through a visual system built around hand-drawn elements, expressive illustrations and a logo that places the consumer at the center of the story. The brand was created by KOTA in partnership with team lead Ricky Carlton, Bankrate Head of Design.

Bankrate is not a bank. It was founded by a journalist on a mission to help consumer navigate life’s most important financial decisions. That mission continues today, powering cutting edge online saving tools and the work of Bankrate’s team of consumer advocacy journalists and experts. The team’s investigative work, independent analysis, and people-first advice are driven by a desire to give people the financial information banks would prefer they never see.

At the heart of the brand’s identity is a new mark that merges two symbols central to Bankrate’s mission: the consumer and the percentage rate. The design transforms the familiar rate symbol into a person, visually connecting financial information with the individuals whose lives it impacts.

“We leaned into craft and human touches to better reflect Bankrate’s values and mission driven approach. Uniting the percentage sign with a consumer really spoke to us,” said Carlton. “But rates only matter because they affect real people. The challenge was creating a symbol that could hold both ideas at once.”

The broader identity extends that philosophy. Hand-drawn illustrations, brush strokes and intentionally imperfect forms introduce a sense of humanity rarely found in financial branding. The system draws inspiration from editorial illustration and the handcrafted nature of journalism itself, reinforcing Bankrate’s roots as a company founded by a journalist. The result is a visual language designed to feel more like a trusted guide than another financial platform or institution.

In an AI era when many brands are adopting increasingly uniform, technology-driven aesthetics, Bankrate intentionally chose a more human approach that reflects the expertise, judgment and curiosity that underpin both great journalism and smart financial guidance.

“The reimagined brand reflects what Bankrate has always been about — putting consumers in a position to win,” said Matt Fellowes, CEO of Bankrate. “Our marketplace puts 850+ institutions in direct competition for consumer’s business, consistently delivering the most competitive rates in the market. Americans are facing an affordability crisis, and Bankrate delivers affordability solutions. We are excited that our new brand identity speaks to that mission.”

The rebrand also reflects Bankrate’s unique position in the financial landscape. Unlike banks or financial institutions, Bankrate exists to serve consumers, helping them compare products, find better rates and make more informed choices. Through its comparison tools, calculators and editorial coverage, the company helps more than 100 million consumers each year.

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