Ascent website
Lead Visual Designer • Responsive web
Key contributions
Designed a 29-page responsive website across eight sections.
Created reusable page templates and components to support consistent experiences.
Translated Ascent's premium brand identity into a digital experience aligned with U.S. Bank's standards.
Designed custom illustrations to reinforce Ascent's visual identity.
Business context
$75M+ net worth: Ascent's target clientele.
29-page website spanning eight sections.
5th-largest U.S. bank by assets.
The problem
Ascent needed a cohesive website that communicated its wealth management services while maintaining U.S. Bank's brand standards. Marketing also needed reusable templates to add and update content without requiring custom design work for every page.
The goals
👥 For prospective clients
Explore ultra-high-net-worth wealth management services.
Understand how Ascent supports complex financial needs.
Connect with an advisor.
🏦 For U.S. Bank
Establish a distinctive digital presence for Ascent.
Communicate its premium wealth management offering.
Simplify content updates through reusable page templates.
My role
Visual design leadership
Brand expression
UI design
Design systems and components
Reusable page templates
Custom illustrations
Understanding the design context
When I joined as Senior Visual Designer, the existing Ascent website was outdated, not mobile-friendly, and hard to grow. Every new page felt like starting from scratch.
Ascent would use U.S. Bank’s existing design system, so I started by looking at how it was used across the bank’s website.
I wanted Ascent to feel like part of U.S. Bank while giving it a more refined look for its ultra-high-net-worth clients.
U.S. Bank website
Ascent (before)
Developing the visual direction
Ascent serves ultra-high-net-worth clients, so before designing anything, I wanted to understand how luxury and financial brands communicate trust, credibility, and exclusivity online.
I reviewed competitor and luxury brand websites to identify common patterns. The experiences that inspired me used high-quality photography, strong typography, generous white space, and a restrained use of color.
Those insights helped shape the visual direction for the site.
Balenciaga was one of the luxury brands I looked to for visual inspiration.
Aligning structure with UX
I worked closely with the UX designer throughout the process. I reviewed the sitemap and wireframes and gave feedback as the structure took shape.
Extending the design system
I extended U.S. Bank’s design system to support Ascent’s needs. I created reusable page headers and content modules, then organized them in a Sketch library with clear naming so the team could easily find and reuse components.
This gave Ascent its own flexible system while staying connected to the larger U.S. Bank experience.
Page Header / Hero
Page Header / Feature
Page Header / Section
Page Header / Editorial
Page Header / Minimal
Content Module / Page Preview / Our Services
Content Module / Page Preview / Our Approach
Photography direction
Working from the Ascent brand guidelines, I developed the photography direction for the site. I chose photos that worked well with Ascent’s brand colors (navy, silver, teal, and orange) and felt premium, natural, and authentic.
The goal was to create a consistent look without making the imagery feel repetitive. I also wanted to build trust through a sense of expertise, rather than obvious displays of wealth.
Final designs
Homepage
The homepage opens with a marble hero image. It reinforces Ascent’s premium positioning. Clean layouts and restrained color keep the focus where it belongs: on the content and the brand.
Landing pages
Full-width headers and natural-pattern photography establish hierarchy while reinforcing the premium Ascent brand.
Subpages
Three header variations support different content types: regional offices, service offerings, and editorial content.
I also created reusable North America regional maps and street map illustrations. The maps were designed as templates so designers could easily update locations as Ascent expanded into new markets.
Editorial page template
Designed for long-form content, the template uses a narrower reading width to improve readability and reduce visual clutter.
Navigating design decisions
The marble hero image I recommended was initially approved by marketing and the Ascent president. When a design leader challenged the direction, the team explored several alternatives and brought them back to marketing for review. After comparing the options, marketing chose to keep the original marble direction.
While building on U.S. Bank’s existing design system, I felt the heavy use of background colors conflicted with the premium experience we wanted for Ascent. I proposed a new divider token that created visual separation without relying on large color blocks. Working with marketing and engineering, I introduced the token into the codebase, helping Ascent establish a more refined visual identity while remaining consistent with the broader U.S. Bank ecosystem.
Team feedback
“So much GOOD to say about Nancy… Her creativity as a designer, attention to detail, and collaborative nature are just the tip of her talent iceberg. Within her 6 month contract Nancy delivered an impressive body of work which included branding a new website, building out the style guide, and creating a comprehensive Sketch library for the team to carry forward. What a treat to have her as part of the team and fingers crossed I’ll get to work with her again. Thank you, Nancy!”— Design VP, Wealth Management