A Full-Service Creative Co-op
CONTEXT
COVID-19 made companies and agencies in 2020 rethink what their internship programs looked like and Brandcener graduate students needed the experience to further their education.
PROBLEM
Companies were quickly removing traditional internship opportunities during the summer of 2020 and small businesses were also suffering due to the global pandemic.
OPPORTUNITY
Create our own creative co-op for students to help small businesses and advance their own skill sets.
MISSION STATEMENT
The Carriage House is a full-service creative co-op of emerging talent from one of the world’s top ad schools. We leverage strategy and insight to deliver innovative messaging that captivates your audience and advances your brand.
BRANDING GUIDELINES
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Emblem
SIX WEEKS
In six weeks, 20 students accomplished:
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Crafting a brand that connected to the history of the VCU Brandcenter's origins
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Wrote a mission statement, manifesto, and one-liner in addition to branding guidelines
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Build a website and social media accounts
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Elected a group that would manage it
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Found 11 small businesses to help
WEBSITE + SOCIAL MEDIA
WEBSITE + SOCIAL MEDIA HIGHLIGHTS
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Featured our student members
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Highlighted who we partnered with and the work they focused on
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Shared wisdom from our Mentors
CARRIAGE HOUSE
"When the universe throws the Brandfam a curveball, we pride ourselves on knocking that sucker out of the park. And so the Carriage House was born..."
- Adweek "VCU Brandcenter Students Start Their Own Agency" (6/3/20)
A DIFFERENT KIND OF LEADERSHIP
Alex Daniel
Mentor Liaison
Chrissy Boals
Social Media, Mentor Liaison, Resource Management
Dinma Onyekwere
Account Head, New Business
Kimberly Burgess
Account Head, New Business
Shannon Gill
Liaison to BC, Social Media
Sophie Whitfield
Social Media, Resource Management
THE LEADERSHIP COUNCIL
The Carriage House Council was the organizing body of the Carriage House and was created through a voting process with a member of each of the 5 tracks at the Brandcenter.
We asked in lieu of payment, that interested parties make a donation to the Brandcenter Scholarship Fund and ended up raising over $15,000 for future students to use.
PARTNERS
PRO-BONO CLIENT PARTNERSHIPS
The Carriage House opened our virtual doors on June 1st, 2020 with 11 client partners and were able to take on more work throughout the summer. Here are a few clients we were able to help during the 12 week run:
HIGHLIGHTED CLIENTS
The Coach House is a family-run bar and grill located in Norfolk, Va that approached Carriage House for some simple branding and social media work.
Their team created:
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Brand guidelines including a new color palette,
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A social media content guide
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Print and social ads
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Redesign of the restaurant's menu
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Website revamp
Menu Redesign
Instagram Post
Primary + Secondary Color Palettes
Local Newspaper Ad
TEAM
Paige Majdic, Account Manager
Brit Reid, Art Director
Kate Power, Copywriter
Hunter Mott, Strategist
LipLoveLine is a startup makeup company that was seeking help with building a brand identity and digital presence. The owner, Briana Williams, created LipLoveLine to empower women of color to feel beautiful in their own skin and we built out a predominantly BIPOC team for her.
Their team created:
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Logo redesign + Style Guide
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Product Package design
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Website build (Landing Page)
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Social Media Strategy
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Crowdfunding Campaign Strategy
Package Design
Package Design
TEAM
Dinma Onyekwere, Account Manager
Shelby Bass, Art Director
Malcolm Richardson, Copywriter
Jael Williams, Packaging Design
Angel Song, Strategy
Professional Art Handling is a Richmond-based company that works with galleries, museums, interior designers, and private collectors. They also deliver artwork and antiques up and down the East Coast as well as offer temperature and climate-controlled storage.
Their team created:
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In-depth research into the art handling industry (consumers, competitors, communications, etc.)
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Brand strategy development
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Brand refresh including new visual identity, sharpened tone of voice, and website redesign
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Communication plan and content for social accounts and print
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CRM plan and email content
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Photography and videography
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Brochure
Postcard
TEAM
Dan Ivey, Experience Designer
Evan Shisler, Copywriter
Chelsie Kelly, Copywriter
Chris Cole, Art Director
Emilee Lampert, Account
Sheila Villalobos, Strategist
Payal Pereira, Strategist
David Ligon, Art Director
Website redesign led to a 450% increase in active leads
Photography
MENTORSHIP
WORKSHOPS + PANELS
We were able to hold several events, including topic-centered panels and workshops. Some examples:
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Diversity and Inclusion Discussion Panel
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Professionalism
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Combatting Creative Burnout
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FACULTY + ALUM MENTORS
We gathered a list of industry professionals who were interested in chatting with our members about projects or career options to facilitate industry connections.
OFFICE HOURS
An important aspect of a summer internship is the ability to form connections within the industry, so we made it a priority to facilitate mentorships between students and Alumni.
LESSONS LEARNED STARTING A CREATIVE CO-OP IN SIX WEEKS
VCU Brandcenter
Along the way, we ran into unexpected challenges that required us to creatively problem-solve. Difficult interactions, tight deadlines, and changes in scopes of work led to quick thinking, collaborating with clients, and finding ways to seek long-term solutions. What started as a simple question of, “Hey...what if we made our own opportunity this summer” turned into a whirlwind of research, interviews, design sprints, partner relationships, mentorship opportunities, negotiating scopes of work, and so much more than I could have imagined pre-pandemic. Looking back, it was an unforgettable experience.