Planet Word
Words & Whimsy All Year
Challenge
Planet Word, DC's new museum dedicated to the joy and power of language, needed to send an end-of-year mailing to their supporters at the end of 2019, and asked for our help. They wanted to establish their brand, generate excitement for the museum's opening, and they also wanted to show their gratitude by giving everyone a small token of appreciation for their support. We were tasked with designing the pieces of the mailer and dreaming up some kind of wonderful extra surprise that could fit in the envelope.
Approach
The surprise gift we proposed was a poster-style calendar, featuring a vividly colorful custom-drawn illustration of the Franklin School, the historic building that is the museum's home, bursting with celebratory streamers and confetti, and drawing all kinds of people from far and near. The calendar would serve as a useful and beautiful reminder of the museum that people could hang up and enjoy throughout the year. Touches of the calendar design were sprinkled throughout the mail package, with a spot illustration teaser on the outer carrier envelope to capture recipients' interest.
Impact
The calendar ended up being such a hit that it became a yearly tradition, with a new and exciting custom illustration created for each new calendar. For 2021's calendar, we embellished the numerals of "2021" to coincide with the four seasons, weaving gold foil vocabulary words throughout. For 2022, we focused on all the inspiring ways that language can be used, with a hand-drawn typographic treatment interspersed with happy little vignettes.
