Legacy Funerals
From our first breath to our last, we are the main protagonist in our own life stories. The places we go. The people we meet. Our greatest triumphs. The extraordinary and the everyday. These experiences shape who we are and define how we’re remembered. Even when the details fade away, our stories live on.
This manifesto shaped the way in which we re-designed Legacy’s brand. Shifting the brand from a funeral provider, to a story telling platform.
Overview.
Legacy Funerals is a disruptor in the funeral industry, offering truly unique and bespoke services, as well as gifting profits back into the community.
The Problem.
The passing of someone close has always been regarded as something intimidating, unpleasant and a time of deep sadness. We approach funerals as ordeals to be endured, and collectively see the end of a life as tragic and final. Legacy, along with most NZ funeral homes, had positioned themselves tonally as synergistic with this cultural approach to death.
The Opportunity.
Through a series of deep dive workshops, Wave Agency found that Legacy shows the bonds of love aren’t severed by death. That those who leave us live on most strongly in the stories that bring us together. With this understanding, Legacy transforms passings into animated, touching, and healing celebrations that embrace whakapapa, amplify the happy memories, and share the special moments that will continue to live on among those who gather to celebrate.
Re-designing a funeral brand.
Our brand idea, ‘Keep The Story Alive’, inspired a new chapter for Legacy. Shifting the brand from a funeral provider to a storytelling platform. Keeping people alive in our hearts through the story of their life, not the mourning of their death. This required a complete visual design refresh for the brand and its communications.
The Pohutukawa tree – an iconic symbol in Aotearoa with deep spiritual meaning for Māori – represents the connection between the beginning and ending of human life. For this reason, we retained the brand’s tree icon but refined it to a simplified flower, giving the brand a contemporary and accessible feel. We complemented this icon with a more celebratory colour palette, drawing inspiration from the natural colours of the tree. Our typographic treatments have been crafted to convey a contrast of different messages and emotions – giving Legacy the ability to share and honour the many stories it now has to tell.
For Legacy’s online brand, we created an experience that evoked a sense of calm and warmth. We also developed content that built upon this feeling, helping loved ones live on in our hearts and minds long after the credits have rolled.
Results.
The measurable business results following the rebrand include an increase in Legacy’s market share by 6% following the rebrand, and our online enquiries increasing 4x. But the intangible benefit of providing enhanced grief support was the most rewarding aspect of this project. We all have stories to cherish.
