Jeni Bukolt, President & Founder of Haven Creative, moved to Waxhaw six years ago when her husband relocated for work. She had been working in the film and television industry doing marketing and design and loved the collaborative process as well as writing and design for marketing. She transitioned into community branding when she was looking for work and decided to start her own business. Bukolt loves creating a sense of place and helping to protect and preserve what makes a community unique as well as bring economic growth.
So what is Haven Creative? In Bukolt’s own words, “We’re a multimedia design and marketing agency that specializes in community branding. We use stakeholder feedback to develop brand platforms that not only encompasses the desired aesthetic of a community, but also how someone should feel the minute they join that community. We help create a sense of “place.” In our work, “community” means any organization from municipalities and counties to residential developments and mentorship programs. Any group that is looking to build a strong sense of community with their services is in our wheelhouse.”
Haven Creative has created the “8 to Great Maven Method”, a proprietary process to building brands and helping their customers connect the dots in their organization. “During a first meeting with our client, we kick-off our 8 to Great Maven Method(TM), specifically steps one and two. Step one is to designate the team, where we make sure everyone who needs to be a part of the rebrand process is involved. Then in step two, we “design the dream” by setting goals and intentions for the rebrand process to be sure we have a benchmark to measure against when we launch the rebrand.”
But don’t think that Haven Creative is all work and no play. “We dance to 80’s pop in the office when we’re in a funk. We have a beer together at the end of the day every Thursday. We’re snarky and silly and will always make you laugh.” Haven Creative has two additional employees that work out of the downtown Waxhaw office, Kristen Stegall and Sara Cornish, as well as several creative and strategic partners in Charlotte and around the country.
“Most people seek us out for one time help, and we’re happy to be a part of their project. If a community is already developed, we will assist them through the launch of their new branding, which tends to be a longer term partnership. Depending on the community and their budget and scope, a branding package can take anywhere from 4 weeks to 18 months. Larger community rebrands require larger surveys and therefore more time to collect meaningful input that affects the final result. Smaller rebrands, or brand books for communities that are still seeking investors, tend to fall into the 4-6 week turnaround range.”
Haven Creative has won several awards including First Place for the Waxhaw Happenings Newsletter and First Place for the Waxhaw Fire Department Video from the North Carolina County & City Communicators. They also won First Place from the National Association for Government Communicators for the Waxhaw Event Logo Designs.
Are you ready to kick off your community rebranding? Call Jeni Bukolt at Haven Creative today!
Haven Creative – 400 E. South Main Street, Ste. 7, Waxhaw, NC 28173; www.havencreativeagency.com; info@thehavencreative.com; Hours are Monday-Thursday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
