A NORTH-EAST building society has carried out a major re-branding exercise with a focus on a family of illustrated characters.

The new image, which depicts a family of five and their pet dog, was the brainchild of local marketing and design agency RDW based near Yarm.

Carol Huitson, the managing director of RDW, said: "We wanted to ensure that the end result reflects the fact that the whole family are members of Darlington Building Society. We deliberately designed all of the characters to be smiling because this reflects how they feel about the Society and also this is how we are always welcomed by Society staff whenever we visit their branches."

Val Peacock, District Manager, based at the Society's Tubwell Row branch in Darlington said the characters were a hit with staff and customers. "The Darlington family is fabulous, the baby and the dog are proving particularly popular as they are so cute," she said.