A project as important as Stella’s Playground needed a brand. But not just any brand. It required an out-of-the-box brand that would tell Stella’s story in a memorable way, inspire people to share the initiative, and create a launchpad for Stella’s dream to come true.
Cory Savage, founder and CEO of Savage (a Milwaukee-based branding agency), is a long-time friend of Stella’s mom, Rese Schneider. Rese had previously collaborated with Savage on branding projects in the city such as Bublr Bikes and Discovery World. “Rese shared with me that she wanted to build Milwaukee’s first accessible playground for Stella,” Cory stated. “Without missing a beat, I said, ‘We’re in.’ It didn’t take long after meeting Stella that the Savage team echoed my statement.”
Brand Discovery and Workshop: Exploring Stella’s Dream
The Savage team was honored to build a brand for Stella’s Playground and couldn’t wait to get started. After their initial meeting with Stella, three things were made abundantly clear. First, Stella inspires everyone she meets with her strength and bravery. Second, she has a deeply creative imagination. Third, she loves dragons.
Tracy Koeper, Senior Art Director at Savage, stated, “Since knowing Stella, I have noticed that she’s always doodling; her creative mind is always on. She’s so focused—especially for a little kid. Going into a project like this put pressure on us to do it right for Stella and make the brand as perfect for her as possible.”
It was of the utmost importance that Stella was thoroughly involved in the creation of the brand. The Savage team adjusted their typical methods to cater to the mind of a child. During the brand workshop, Stella was presented with a plethora of colors, textures, and graphics—making the process more tactile and fun for her and her friends. It was during this workshop that Stella emphasized her love of bright colors (especially purple), her distaste for dark, dreary colors (like black and brown), and the style of art that she gravitated towards. This sparked the design team’s excitement for the brand’s direction.
With that being said, brand design and brand voice go hand-in-hand. In order to build out the best messaging to tell Stella’s story, Savage made sure to get input from the people who are closest to her—including parents, grandmothers, and fellow 9-year-olds. “Everyone we interviewed spoke very highly of Stella’s bravery, kindness, and endless imagination,” said Sophie Cavanaugh, Senior Copywriter at Savage. “Hearing how much of an impact she has had on people’s lives is a true testament to who she is as a person—which really helped drive the brand story.”
A significant element that was revealed from Rese was that “Stella” means “star.” Living up to her name, Stella is a bright light that shines with creativity and courage. Thus, her playground’s supporters are all a part of her galaxy.
Building the Brand: A Kaleidoscope of Colors, Textures, and Whimsical Creatures
When designing the brand for Stella’s Playground, one thing was certain: dragons must be center stage.
Not only does Stella love dragons, but they’re also the perfect symbol to depict the importance of inclusivity. The Savage team custom-illustrated seven dragons to use throughout the brand—all of different colors, sizes, and positions—as a loose representation of the various walks of life that are invited to play at Stella’s Playground. Because when the right environment is created, everyone has the opportunity to spread their wings and soar like a dragon!
The logo features Stella’s very own purple dragon in the shape of an “S” for “Stella”. The logo’s wordmark is in a custom type that feels playful and inviting—including several elements within the letters that pay homage to Stella. A star is found in the “o” letter to represent her namesake. A heart is used in place of an apostrophe to speak to the love that the galaxy has for Stella. Nine dragon spikes are illustrated around the name to indicate her age.
The Savage team paid close attention to every detail—even ensuring that all words, outlines, and visuals throughout the brand were dark purple as opposed to black.
Stella is known for her bravery and courage—much like a dragon, who may grow big and strong, but has a playful spirit that never shrinks. Savage was intentional with the illustration style, creating dragon designs that kids Stella’s age would gravitate toward. “This was fun for me,” Tracy stated. “It’s not every day I get to channel my inner child and remind myself what it’s like to be a 9 year old.”
In addition to the dragons, other aspects of the brand were inspired by Stella’s creative spirit. Notebook paper, watercolors, and fun photo frames were designed to look like a scrapbook—akin to Stella’s love of doodling and making crafts of all kinds. The photographs provided by Stella’s family were intentionally selected to show her journey and how much more is yet to come.
Savage took all of these brand elements and created a website for Stella’s Playground—urging visitors to donate their time, resources, or money to help make this dream a reality.
Despite the unimaginable hardships of Stella’s diagnosis, the goal of Stella’s Playground is a positive one: to bring the community together. The brand was deliberately created to make people feel happy, included, and inspired to go out and play—regardless of background or ability!
Brand Reveal: Stella’s Playground
The reveal of the brand left community members thrilled to support Stella and the initiative to build her an accessible playground. But most importantly, Stella loved it. “I give it 1000 thumbs up!,” she exclaimed.
The Savage team feels privileged and honored to be a part of Stella’s galaxy. “What has come of this brand and this project has been nothing but inspirational,” Cory Savage stated. “Now, the real work begins. We need to raise awareness and funding to get this done. There’s no doubt that we will.”
