How Giant Paper Planes Are Helping a Financial Firm Soar
Guiding wealth with a purpose is the motto of Troy-based financial planning firm Kennedy Financial Group. And thanks to recent work by the design team at Bloomfield Hills-based Wheelhouse Graphix, the company’s mission and purpose are visible all over the walls. “When we talk with clients about the purpose of money, it’s about much bigger things than how much we make and how much we have,” said Brandon Kennedy, president of Kennedy Financial Group. “It’s about what money can do as a tool to impact the world, our community, and the next generation of our family in a positive way.“
After Kennedy Financial went through a digital rebranding process in 2020, Brandon knew he also wanted to liven up the physical presence of the company’s new 3,800-square-foot office space. The team was used to a typical office palette of wood and neutral colors, but their new logo and branding assets brighten things up and better reflect the firm’s welcoming atmosphere.
“What we never had was bringing that life into our physical space,” Kennedy said.
The transformation started with a solid glass entrance leading to a large open lobby. Clients first see a custom dimensional sign with the company’s logo.
“Wheelhouse Graphix walked us through finding that balance with the sign being big and bold but not in an offensive way, and they nailed it,” Kennedy said. “We’ve gotten lots of complements on the sign because that’s the first thing you see when you walk in.”
In the conference room, where the Kennedy team holds most of its client meetings, Wheelhouse Graphix installed an “I Promise” board with six of the firm’s core commitments to their clients. It’s just to the left of the screen that potential clients see when advisers are showing them their financial plans.
“They can see it and know in six little sentences who we are and what we’re about,” Kennedy said. “Wheelhouse Graphix did a great job of having that be a statement piece in the conference room.”
A big part of the rebranding was conveying to clients that everyone is on a unique financial journey, and that Kennedy Financial is here to be their guide. Wheelhouse Graphix incorporated drawings of boats and planes, including some large paper planes, to represent that journey, with trails behind the planes to show that a person’s financial future is always in motion.
“We talk about an ongoing movement and plan,” Kennedy said. “What we do today is going to be different a year from now and five years from now.”
Kennedy said the Wheelhouse Graphix installation team paid close attention to the details throughout the entire process.
“They really cared about the finished product,” Kennedy said. “They took their time and made sure that they got it right, and they absolutely did that. They knocked it out of the park.”
He appreciated that he was able to meet with Shauna Ryder, Wheelhouse Graphix CEO, and the rest of her team.
“We would have zero hesitation introducing Wheelhouse Graphix to other businesses we work with,” Kennedy said. “They really turned stuff around fast and really cared for us, and that’s the most important thing when working with a vendor. They live that out in every single interaction they have.”
Learn more about Kennedy Financial Group at kennedyfg.com. Learn more about Wheelhouse Graphix at
wheelhousegraphix.com or call (800) 732-0815.