A Good Ol’-Fashioned (Party) Rebrand
Talking a little about a new brand we built. The link to the website is at the bottom.
Over 12 years, Heather’s business had outgrown its brand.
What began as a vintage furniture rental / wedding planning company had evolved over time as Heather delivered party after party, expanding her range of services, styles, and connections to the point that what she saw on her website did not match what she felt when working with her clients.
I know this because Kelly & I did a Soul Search interview for Heather’s business Good Ol’Fashioned Party during which Heather and her business partner Cassie literally said these things, and also because Heather is my mother-in-law and I’ve been there for this process since way back at the first Good-Ol’ Fashioned wedding.
See:
Since marrying Kelly I’ve watched Heather bring wedding dreams to life for so many, expand into corporate galas to raise money for ovarian cancer research, and flex her creative planning expertise on a glam Bat Mitvah. (Some of those times I was also driving the UHaul full of furniture.)
I knew how much Heather loved her business and how proud she was to talk about it, so I knew it was serious that she didn’t want to share her website with prospective clients because she felt like it didn’t show the kinds of parties that she was bringing to life now, and because it did not bring to life what it felt like to actually work with her and Cassie.
What it feels like to work with Good Ol’-Fashioned Party is what it feels like to be around Heather, which is to feel a) very special, and b) completely taken care of, and it was up to Kelly and me to convey that on the website through our art and writing. That is the most fun part of our job, and I think the new website does this in many cool ways, including specifically these three:
The impactful tagline from Kelly, “Planning parties as unique as you are.” I think that is elegantly written.
The way Kel took real-life event pictures and added playfully augmented visuals to convey emotion.
The intentionally mishmashed letter fonts that emphasize playful individuality.
After every Soul Search interview we deliver a Game Plan of our main findings and recommendations, and I start all of them with a unique quote that I think reflects something about who we are talking to and where they want to go. Finding that quote is a super-fun process for me—I’ve chosen serious quotes, funny quotes, quotes from the person we interviewed, etc., and taking the time to try and find the perfect one gives me a lot of insight into the overall feel our creative work should convey.
For Heather I chose a quote from unlikely musical source but kindred party spirit Andrew W.K. because I felt that it reflected the essence of Heather and her business:
“Life changes, and thus partying changes, and what it means to party evolves as well … It’s a conscious decision to look at life – despite all the evidence to the contrary – as an incredible event, and therefore to be grateful for it every day, and celebrate it every day. People celebrate Friday nights, holidays, birthdays, and other special events. So being alive must be the most special event of all.”
Cheers to that, cheers to Heather, and cheers to the new Good Ol’Fashioned Party brand at www.goodolfashionedparty.com.
If you need a party planner, you should call Heather. If you need a new brand, or a creative marketing campaign, or some strategic help, you should call us! jed@kindandfunny.com.