Opportunity:
Modernize a funeral home brand while conveying the appropriate amount of sensitivity and respect for those experiencing this difficult phase.
Business Details:
Family owned and operated since 1875 Robinson Funeral Homes prided itself on taking care of, serving and supporting their clients. Now with 5 locations and multiple websites, it was time for one united, updated presence.
Solutions:
Logo
Originally, the logo was heavily illustrated and followed a dated approach. It was time to modernize to something that worked well on screen. In addition to the mark, the type was very traditional and hard to read. The team worked to create something that represented the same qualities, but with a more memorable end result. The solution? A re-designed laurel leaf and the same overall shape brought together in a more simple, cleaner approach.
Brand
The website is one of the best examples of how the brand came to life. On the original site, gold was the dominant color and blue was an accent. For the brand update, we flipped this relationship and leveraged more white space along with darker hues. Knowing that stock photography would continue to be the predominant means of assets, we looked for ways to tie the various photography methods together for stronger consistency. Arrangement and hierarchy of information were two other points of focus.
Messaging
The team did a great job reflecting Robinson’s qualities. One of my favorite excerpts is below:
“We’ve been a part of the community for more than a hundred years, and our mission has always been to take care of our clients in their time of need. We’re your friends and neighbors, and we’re here when you need us.”
Website
With a site, originally over 30 pages, two additional website, copious number of outbound links, and an unclear hierarchy, we had an exciting opportunity to elevate. After a thorough web audit, we restructured the navigation and combined content to achieve a more manageable 18 pages. There wasn’t much in the way of well done local, competitive funeral homes websites. Instead our focus was to apply good design theories from inspirational sites through an intuitive navigation, a clear hierarchy of information, and good user experience. We created layers to add dimension and aligned the messaging to be professional and respectful, but local.
Below - Left: Original | Right: Updated
Materials:
The team worked on a range of projects including the logo, the brand, business cards, stationery, digital ads, print ads, press releases, OOH, social assets and the website (list does not include all media tactics but references creative only).
Client Appreciation:
Developed a huge appreciation and admiration for those working in this industry. It can’t be an easy business and yet our client was always calm, methodical, and respectful. Truly a pleasure to work with. Best wishes always.
Awards:
The website won a 2017 Marcom honorable mention.
