HAIL MARY & FRIENDS
Working for close to a decade in the US, with a year and a half of that remote from Melbourne made me realise that when it comes to creativity, distance can be less a tyranny and more an asset. Time differences mean in Australia we’re uniquely positioned here to solve creative challenges for Northern Hemisphere agencies and clients overnight, at a favourable exchange rate. And it gave me an idea: what if I could build a creative collective of senior talent with global experience to answer that need? And lo, Hail Mary and Friends was born.
Below is a walk-through of how the brand identity and tone of voice for Hail Mary & Friends was conceived, along with some examples of social posts designed to spread the gospel of Mary far and wide.
THE NAME: So I had the idea, but first I needed a name. ‘Hail Mary’ made sense, in that for the US market in particular, it was about them throwing out a last-ditch effort to another hemisphere and us spiking the ball while they slept. However, ‘Hail Mary’ was taken, so I added ‘Friends’. (At this point I had no friends.)
THE SYSTEM: Working with former art director and current pop-artist extraordinaire Sally Hastings, we came up with the ‘Praying Pen’ logo. With the typeface, we went with Futura Bold Oblique and gave it an extruded drop shadow, adding impact and an almost ‘superhero comic book’ feel as if to say ‘Hail Mary & Friends is here to save the day!’ After that we built a two-colour design system that simply couldn’t be ignored.
THE TONE: Hail Mary & Friends is a mixed metaphor, both sporting and religious. So I leaned into both to set a tone that is humorous, miraculous and generous—from anonymous bespoke ‘saint-like’ talent headshots, to ‘blessed’ copy and topical industry-related social posts.
THE RESULTS (SO FAR): Got some work and some press, but more importantly, have made some friends, such as the Pangea group, which we are now part of. Plus, as part of our JNR BLESSINGS initiative (a free portfolio review service for juniors), we’ve helped a young writer land a coveted internship #blessed.
You can find out more about Hail Mary & Friends here
