SCHOOLHOUSE
The fine folks at Schoolhouse are obsessed with the stories behind weathered antiques and vintage ephemera. As their copywriter, I was tasked with explaining how these objects translated to inspiration for the company’s heirloom-quality products.
The Detective Building: Scalable, Multi-Channel Media
In 2019, Schoolhouse went to Pittsburgh to tackle one of their most ambitious projects to date: a complete renovation and reimagination of a 1970s office building to fit the modern coworking economy. Finished with period-inspired furniture (and, of course, Schoolhouse lighting) the project was a fully immersive brand experience that launched with a new line of custom Schoolhouse products including collaborations with Pittsburgh-based makers. My job was to get the word out in the form of media placement, blogging, social media, product writing, and catalog editorial work, all the while keeping the iconic tone and elevated storytelling for which Schoolhouse was known.
UX and Landing Page Copy
Writing short copy for a company like Schoolhouse is a huge challenge. You have to navigate the immense complexity of the products (What’s a surface mount? What’s fitter size? What’s the difference between an LED driver and LED bulb?) while balancing the demands of brand voice and tone. One of my biggest long-term projects involved a comprehensive overhaul of the landing page and navigation copy to create more consistency across the user experience.
Product Inspiration Storytelling
What sets Schoolhouse apart is its ability to find inspiration in the old and make it feel new. In this environment, the stories surrounding the products become as important as the products themselves. For every major product launch, I crafted a blogpost sharing the story of its design and inspiration. I then created product copy for the collection that harnessed the tone, narrative and branded terms set out in the blog.
