Brand and product creation for a modern DTC urn company.

As new generations seek to redefine the rituals at end-of-life, consumers are increasingly choosing cremation over traditional burial. The urn category is aesthetically out of sync with our carefully curated homes.

Solstice was conceived to offer products that meet the way we live today.

Solstice urns are the first of their kind: objects of beauty and interest relevant in today’s world and your home. 

The solstice represents a turning point; the advent of changing seasons.

Taking inspiration from this twice-yearly moment where the Earth’s axis of rotation is tilted relative to its orbit around the sun, a logomark was created giving nod to this 23.5 degree slant.

A secondary maker’s mark icon was created for judicious use across packaging and as a brand sign-off that would eventually stand on its own as an equal signifier once the brand gained traction.

Launch imagery was deliberately timeless to appeal to the largest consumer segment possible with eventual transition into more overtly modern lifestyle aesthetics.

Messaging elevated the brand attributes of meaning, emotion and ritual, celebrating the remarkable lives of loved ones.

Design and craft were emphasized to create a sense of origin and care, and to support premium positioning.

Solstice forms compliment every interior environment — making it easy to honor those that mean the most.

A product design language was established to guide product creation.

Solstice launched with three iconic slipcast ceramic designs inspired by the enduring qualities of modernist monuments.

Architectural volumes characterized by refined lines and sensitive proportions were intended to integrate easily into any environment, yet maintain a distinctively singular presence.

Sizing/volume decisions deliberately accommodated pets, a rapidly growing category segment.

To differentiate Solstice from the crowded market of cheap mass produced urns, limited edition Maker Collaborations were established, further redefining what a modern urn could be.

Glass and ceramic masters worked against specific creative and functional parameters to create modern interpretations of full size and keepsake urns.

Culp Pottery executed designs originated by Solstice.

Digital ceramic printing was explored, iterating and micro-finessing forms to achieve the highest print fidelity available in this fledgling fabrication method. Limited edition designs were planned as an on-ramp to future-state on-demand urn production.