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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.

Misson Statement

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.

Brand Guidelines

BRANDING GUIDELINES

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Primary  Logo

Carriage House Secondary Logo/Emblem

Emblem

SIX WEEKS

In six weeks, 20 students accomplished: 

  • Crafting a brand that connected to the history of the VCU Brandcenter's origins

  • Wrote a mission statement, manifesto, and one-liner in addition to branding guidelines

  • Build a website and social media accounts

  • Elected a group that would manage it

  • Found 11 small businesses to help

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CarriageHouse Branding Typography

WEBSITE + SOCIAL MEDIA

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WEBSITE + SOCIAL MEDIA HIGHLIGHTS

  • Featured our student members 

  • Highlighted who we partnered with and the work they focused on

  • Shared wisdom from our Mentors

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Current Feed

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Design by Monica Roebuck

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Partner Feature

Carriage House

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)

Leadership

A DIFFERENT KIND OF LEADERSHIP

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Alex Daniel

Mentor Liaison

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Chrissy Boals

Social Media, Mentor Liaison, Resource Management

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Dinma Onyekwere

Account Head, New Business

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Kimberly Burgess

Account Head, New Business

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Shannon Gill

Liaison to BC, Social Media

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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

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: 

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HIGHLIGHTED CLIENTS

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COACH HOUSE

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:

  • Brand guidelines including a new color palette,

  • A social media content guide

  • Print and social ads

  • Redesign of the restaurant's menu 

  • Website revamp

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Menu Redesign

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Instagram Post

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Primary + Secondary Color Palettes

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Local Newspaper Ad

TEAM

Paige Majdic, Account Manager
Brit Reid, Art Director
Kate Power, Copywriter
Hunter Mott, Strategist

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LIPLOVELINE

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: 

  • Logo redesign + Style Guide

  • Product Package design 

  • Website build (Landing Page)

  • Social Media Strategy 

  • Crowdfunding Campaign Strategy 

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Package Design

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Package Design

TEAM

Dinma Onyekwere, Account Manager
Shelby Bass, Art Director
Malcolm Richardson, Copywriter
Jael Williams, Packaging Design
Angel Song, Strategy

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PROFESSIONAL ART HANDLING

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: 

  • In-depth research into the art handling industry (consumers, competitors, communications, etc.)

  • Brand strategy development

  • Brand refresh including new visual identity, sharpened tone of voice, and website redesign

  • Communication plan and content for social accounts and print

  • CRM plan and email content

  • 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

Mentors

MENTORSHIP

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WORKSHOPS + PANELS

We were able to hold several events, including topic-centered panels and workshops. Some examples:

  • Diversity and Inclusion Discussion Panel 

  • Professionalism 

  • 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.

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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

LESSONS LEARNED STARTING A CREATIVE CO-OP IN SIX WEEKS

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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. 

Press

PRESS

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