Rendezvous Turns 1!
Let’s pop some champagne! Time to celebrate – Rendezvous Creative turns 1 this month!
In case you missed it, Rendezvous is the full service branding agency co-founded last June by our very own Nicole Yang, along with some other fellow biz-owning buddies. Together they’ve worked through all the hurdles, growing pains, and challenges that come with the territory of entrepreneurship, and we couldn’t be more excited to celebrate their business’s first year in operation!
But what exactly is a “full service branding agency”? Want the inside scoop on Rendezvous? Well, doll, (as they might say at Rendezvous), we’re here to spill the beans. Buckle up for our trip down memory lane!
How did it start?
Like most great ideas, Rendezvous was born out of frustration.
Nicole has been longtime friends with Latasha Doyle, Owner of Uncanny Content and Megan Dowd, of MD&Co. (Latasha is a copywriter and marketing strategist extraordinaire, while Megan is a business coach and branding developer who takes businesses from average to exceptional. More on this in a bit).
Okay, so these guys chatted. A lot. One – because founding and running your own business can get lonely, and the overwhelm can creep in when you feel like the buck stops at you. Two – because they were all feeling frustrated by project dissonance.
They all had AMAZING clients that they adored. But often brands can feel piecemeal because different contractors handle all the different elements of the brand. Basically, clients sometimes couldn’t utilize their deliverables to the fullest because the other parts of their business just weren’t there or were on a totally different timeline.
That got them thinking: “If I had someone I could work with and point the other parts of the brand to, this project would be so much better for the client!”
The ahh-haa moment. Collaboration wasn’t just a cute, friendly concept. It unlocked powerhouse synergy. The gal’s skills and services intersected perfectly to create a complete business model for what they were dreaming up – a branding agency as holistic as the brands it aimed to build.
A few Zoom calls later and the “hey wouldn’t that be fun,” turned into a serious conversation about business viability!
So what is a holistic brand anyway?
What’s a brand? We’re so glad you asked.
At Rendezvous, we believe that rock solid brands are ones that combine the four essential elements of the “brand cocktail,” if you will: the visual, the tonal, the interpersonal, and the intellectual.
VISUAL
This is what usually comes to mind first when you think of bands! It’s your logo, font choices, color palette, iconography, patterns, and even the mood of your photography. Let’s call it the look of your brand.
TONAL
Tone conveys the emotional space you want to inhabit as a brand. This includes your copy, the language you use, and even the audio you choose for your Reels or TikToks. In other words, it’s how you talk.
INTERPERSONAL
The interpersonal aspect of a brand can be boiled down to how you treat people. This includes customer service and client experience, but also can include things like how you interact with followers on social media, how easily clients can interact with you, or how comfortable they feel asking questions. Every touchpoint matters.
INTELLECTUAL
This includes the tactics you use to sell to a customer — aka your marketing. Customers can see right through disingenuity, slimy business practices, and false claims. The intellectual element of your brand takes marketing seriously as a reflection of your business values.
The problem…
Phew. That is A LOT for a business owner to iron out, and a lot of individual contractors to hire to do their own thing. The developing consultant is over here doing one thing, the designer over there doing another, and oh yeah, there’s the copywriter and marketer and web designer and project manager. The list goes on.
Rendezvous answered the question of how to serve these 4 areas of branding all under one roof. Visuals (Nicole)? Check! Tonal and intellectual (Latasha)? Check! Interpersonal and coaching the whole thing (Megan)? Check!
Planning Process
So they had their vision . . . now, came the “in the weeds” phase. After applying for an LLC, the team spent time mapping out their offering and clarifying their ideal clients. And when we say “time,” we mean it. This whole thing did not happen overnight! Businesses with staying power really dig into how to connect their core values to their offer . . . and then figure out how to actually convey that service. It’s a ton of grueling work.
Copious time was spent on Zoom and Asana. Even with the best idea, things go south real quick if you’re lacking clarity on processes. So we wanted to make sure that every touchpoint and deliverable was clearly documented, and we knew ahead of time who on the team was responsible for each step in the process!
Nashville baby!
It was time for a power summit! After months of planning we had a blast rendezvousing (cough cough) in Nashville for our very anticipated brand photo shoot + face to face time to really get on the same page about all the things.
This dedicated time together also allowed us to dig into the nitty gritty of things like customer service workflows, email sequences, templates, and finalizing touchpoint responsibilities.
Can’t you just tell we had a BLAST? With a name as cool as “rendezvous,” we had plenty of creative wiggle room, and ended up going with a bold retro-modern look sprinkled with some quirky spy and cocktail theming.
Here’s what it looked like behind the camera . . .
And the final product. #hearteyes. We could NOT love how it all turned out more!! (Photos by the amazing Jessica McIntosh).
Where we are now . . .
The doors opened. And things started happening!
We got to work on the MOST fun first project with Uncanny Unedited, a quirky book marketing company spearheaded by none other than our very own Latasha! After happily launching Unedited into the world a few months ago, we’re onto the next big project now with a client whose mission we LOVE (will share more as we dig into this!).
It’s been an incredible privilege to come alongside these brands to fully set them up for success, from strategy to development to design, execution, and implementation. Getting to be a part of the entire branding process from start to finish has been absolutely as rewarding as we dreamed!
Apart from working with our clients, another highlight from this whole process has been the amazing support of actually working with your friends. Having a buddy to carry the responsibility with you, and the honesty that comes from working closely with people you respect and admire. Truly, it’s been such an amazing year together!
A Q&A
To wrap up, we thought it would be fun to do a little Q&A with the team. So without further ado….
Latasha:
- You have to go undercover. Your alias is: Freya March
- What’s something always in your fridge? Beer
- Your best secret talent: Properly guessing the background story of anyone sitting in a restaurant
- Do you have a favorite quote or mantra you love? Come what may (from Moulin Rouge!)
- Alternate life career: I would be an activities director at a preschool or a nursing home! Enrichment activities and glitter are my jam!
Megan:
- You have to go undercover. Your alias is: Blurf Cloughton, FBI (pronounced Cluff-ton)
- What’s something always in your fridge? green sauce (creamy, onion-y, cilantro, put-that-shit-on-everything sauce)
- Your best secret talent? picking up a stack of 20s and knowing within a 20 how much money it is (up to about $12-15k)
- Do you have a favorite quote or mantra you love? ta-da, ta-da, ta-da forever
- Alternate life career: film editor who cuts movie trailers
Nicole:
- You have to go undercover. Your alias is: Naomi Parker
- What’s something always in your fridge? Applesauce
- Your best secret talent: Predicting the killer on procedural TV shows
- Do you have a favorite quote or mantra you love? “Turn the g*ddamn music up! My heart feels like an alligator!”- Hunter S. Thompson
- Alternate life career: I’d be a potter, spending all day elbow deep in clay and trying to concoct elusive glazes that satisfy my need for bright colors.
That’s all we’ve got for now friend! Leave a comment to wish Rendezvous a happy birthday! Or give us a ring if you’d love to know more about how to work with us!
