Old Place, New Brand: The Creative Process Behind Oakland’s New Look
Son & Sons designers sporting Oakland hats at the 2025 Visitor Center Ribbon Cutting.
Even for the most experienced of designers, developing a new brand for a 175-year-old cemetery in the heart of Atlanta isn’t something you do every day.
Yet, that’s exactly what Wade Thompson, president and creative director at Atlanta-based branding agency Son & Sons, and the design team set out to accomplish. The challenge? Crafting a new brand for the Historic Oakland Foundation that respects the cemetery’s storied past while positioning it for the future.
As always, the primary mission of Historic Oakland Foundation is to restore, preserve, share, and enhance historic Oakland Cemetery. To ensure that mission continues long-term, we’ve intentionally focused on connecting with Atlantans of all ages, backgrounds, and stages of life. But how do you reach these audiences, and honor the legacy of such a storied, iconic site while also embracing Atlanta’s diverse, dynamic community in the year 2025? This was the central question that guided Son & Sons as they worked to refresh Oakland’s brand identity.
Historic Oakland Foundation’s 2025 staff proudly showcasing their Oakland branded mugs.
Having worked with iconic institutions and brands like the Atlanta History Center, Coca-Cola, and the City of Atlanta, Son & Sons knew they would need to carefully think through the design process for rebranding Historic Oakland Foundation. Their creative strategy included experimenting with different styles, fonts, and visuals—some inspired by the ornate, historic mausoleums and sculptures on the Oakland grounds, others referencing the enduring strength of centuries-old trees and structures, and some as modern and sleek as a Buckhead high-rise.
Through all these variations, one theme kept emerging: multiplicity. Oakland is not just one thing; it’s many things at once. It’s a serene oasis where people can escape the noise and stress of daily life, yet it’s also a place where stories of struggle, hardship, and loss are etched into its landscape. It’s a place of remembrance, sorrow, and reflection, yet it’s also a venue for life’s most joyful moments: weddings, concerts, community gatherings, and celebrations that remind us of the beauty and resilience of life.
“Oakland is very dear to so many people—gardeners, volunteers, historians, neighbors, old-school Atlantans,” said Wade Thompson. “When creating the new brand, it was important for us to understand their appreciation and love for this historic place.”
The diverse members of the Son & Sons design team each brought their unique perspectives and experiences as Atlantans to the design process: Aadarsh Santosh, originally from Carola, India, lived in Dubai and is now living in Atlanta; Madelene Tetsch grew up in Germany and moved to the U.S. in high school; Cameron Ohls, a Los Angeles native, has called Atlanta home for nearly a decade; and Wade Thompson is a proud Atlanta native. The team’s group walks through the grounds not only inspired them, but illustrated how Oakland offers something valuable for native Atlantans, newcomers, and visitors alike, and Son & Sons’ international team sought to capture this in their brand design. They aimed to reflect the perspectives of those who have cherished Oakland for years, as well as those discovering it for the first time.
Eventually, the Son & Sons team, with input from Historic Oakland Foundation leadership, decided upon Oakland’s new logo: a clean, bold font and with a stylized ampersand in place of the word’s second A. This ampersand (“and”) is representative of Oakland’s many multitudes: a cemetery and a place to get married. A cemetery and a place for children to learn. A cemetery and a botanical garden. A cemetery and a museum of stories.
Oakland’s brand color palette drawn from colors found in the cemetery. Courtesy of Son & Sons.
Spiral graphic representing Oakland’s complexity and history.
While to many, the new brand stands in stark contrast to Historic Oakland Foundation’s previous imagery that centered the iconic entrance gate and the Cemetery’s prestigious identity, the new brand incorporates more of Oakland than ever.
There are several details included in the new brand vision that reference Oakland’s unique landscape while still conveying a modern, vibrant identity. The brand color palette (above) is entirely developed from colors found in Oakland itself: the cheerful yellow of daffodils, slate grey of the headstones and mausoleums, the rich green of a magnolia leaf.
The spiral graphic found in many of our designs references the complexity and history held behind Oakland’s gates. The duotone textures used as backgrounds (below) and frames for our graphics are crafted from photos of Oakland’s physical landscape: grass, plants, flowers, graves, and more.
Duotone textures depicting close-ups of Oakland’s environment
1977 informational guide produced by Historic Oakland Foundation in their second year of operation.
The duotone graphics seen on Oakland merchandise, such as our Remembrance candle, directly reference some of Historic Oakland Foundation’s earliest materials (see educational pamphlet from 1977). “The new identity reflects the history, culture, and natural features of Oakland in vibrant ways that enrich the visitor’s experience and supercharge communications,” says Wade Thompson.
Ultimately, our goal is to honor Oakland’s past and our landscape, while connecting with new audiences, reinvigorating current Oakland fans, and bringing more people to Oakland Cemetery than ever before.
If you’re still adjusting to Historic Oakland Foundation’s new brand identity, ask yourself: “What is it I love so much about Oakland?” Perhaps it’s the beauty of its green spaces; the cultural history of the Jewish and African American Burial Grounds; how it was a safe space during the pandemic; or the memory of a marriage proposal beneath the shade of an ancient magnolia tree. Whatever it may be, the goal of the new branding is to capture that essence—the idea that Oakland can be so many things to so many people while remaining a cherished, iconic Atlanta landmark that continues to evolve into the future.
