White Oak Savanna: Building a Brand The Natural Way

What began in the 1920s as working farmstead in the rugged Driftless region of southern Wisconsin was purchased, painstakingly restored to natural organic splendor and converted to a weddings and events venue by a Chicago couple with a singular vision and deep respect for the land. Originally named Green Spirit Farm, the owners elected to re-name and re-brand ahead of a 2017 brand re-opening.

The rare oak savanna prairie that graces the 66 acre landscape inspired a natural uncovering of the name. A simple but beautiful oak leaf-bedecked brand identity intends to enchant wedding planners and couples, alike.

Charles Lloyd Jones was Frank Lloyd Wright’s first cousin, so the land has a direct connection to Wright’s world-famous Taliesen in nearby Spring Green. This local legacy and the high quality of the land’s and building’s restoration – including the stunning Lloyd Jones Barn Pavilion – is reflected in everything GS did to build the brand: from research and strategic planning to award-winning design and execution.

Everything about White Oak Savanna breathes commitment, quality and timelessness: every blade of organic prairie grass, every stroke of farmhouse paint, every nail in the state-of-the-art commercial kitchen, every gap in the siding that gives the Cherokee red Lloyd Jones Barn Pavilion its peaceful, historic character.

The GrahamSpencer team’s goal was simple: give the venture the understated, high quality brand identity, website, on-site facility naming, way-finding signage, photography, sales tools, digital and traditional advertising and high quality merchandise it deserved. The project earned two American Advertising Federation ADDY awards in 2018.