We’re excited to start rolling out a fresh new look for the CSS brand this fall and into 2024.

The new brand highlights long-term growth and financial wellness through nature-inspired imagery. It emphasizes the climb toward retirement, the ups and downs along the way, and the many ways CSS can help guide you throughout your journey.

To help tell the story of CSS and our membership, the new brand also spotlights our own members’ unique experiences with CSS as they navigate different stages of their careers and lives. We’re also excited to launch a refreshed logo and colour palette that are well-suited for digital communications.

The last time CSS refreshed its brand was in 2020. However, our unique value has changed over the years because of shifts in technology, member expectations and new CSS service offerings, including advisory services and online self-serve account management. In response to these changes, a comprehensive brand audit revealed opportunities to evolve the look of the CSS brand so that it remains modern and relevant.

You can see the new brand come to life on our new website at www.csspension.com.

New logo

We worked with Ascent Strategy to make subtle changes to our logo so that it is simpler and looks great on mobile devices. Mobile traffic to the CSS website has doubled in the last four years, increasing from about 20% of all website traffic in 2018 to nearly 40% in 2022.

Recent surveys of 4,204 CSS Pension Plan members and 86 participating employers also revealed an uptick in the use and interest in digital channels:

• 86% of members would like a CSS mobile app if one was available
• 61% of members said it is “very important” that they have 24/7 online access to their accounts
• 79% of employers said they prefer receiving information about the CSS Pension Plan from the CSS website/myCSSPEN and email communications

Over 80% of members and 90% of employers rated the Plan’s reputation as either “very good” or “good”. Given the CSS still has a strong reputation through the eyes of members and employers, a full logo redesign was not necessary.

New colour palette

CSS also worked with Ascent to curate a new colour palette that is more accessible for members with visual impairments.

Further, the old brand colour palette did not perform well in dark-mode view when tested for online colour accessibility. The new palette is designed to work well for light-mode users and a growing base of dark-mode users. According to Earthweb, over 80% of smartphone users opt for dark-mode settings.

Overall, the new look and feel of the CSS brand is reflective of our purpose – to empower our members to achieve financial security and wellness in retirement.

You will start to experience the new brand as it is rolled out throughout the rest of 2023 and into 2024.