Cary, North Carolina
On the web: http://letterberry.com (Beta)
People talk about “social media” like it’s a brand-new thing, but really, we’ve been sharing content socially for as long as we’ve been picking up a pen and writing letters. That was the thought that inspired Creative Media People founder Kelly Utt-Grubb to start an all-new social media site called Letterberry, which links high-tech social networking with old-school letter writing by inciting users to write original letters to celebs and public figures, or browse an archive of historic letters to discover the trending topics of previous generations.
Kelly had the idea for Letterberry as a grad student studying Interactive Communications at Quinnipiac University. She had noticed that people posting on blogs, forums and social networks would often begin a message with “Dear so-and-so,” and wondered if people missed the old days of letter-writing — the ability to sit down and thoughtfully compose a message to someone, and share what was really on their minds in a personal, two-way conversation. If people have time to write blog posts, they must have time to write letters, right? She created a proposal for the site as her MA project, including focus group research on potential markets, and a full feasibility study.
Just in time for South by Southwest 2011, the Creative Media People launched the ʻalphaʼ version of the Letterberry site. Our design team created the cute ʻberryʼ logo and distinctive visual style and personality of the site, blending a retro post-office aesthetic with funky contemporary graphics. To round out the experience, our awesome back-end developer built the searchable archive, and our front-end developer fine-tuned the friendly, interactive interface. The finished product is a site thatʼs simultaneously unique and comfortable, like a little neighborhood coffee shop where you always feel welcome whether youʼve brought a hardcover novel or a state-of-the-art tablet to work on.
Now that Letterberry is up and running, weʼre working on spreading the word through PR, social media and local and national events. To find out about Letterberry events in your area, become a fan on Facebook or follow @letterberry on twitter.
Itʼs so exciting to follow a project like this from concept to execution. Weʼre looking forward to seeing Letterberry become the next big thing in social media, and being able to say that we were using the site before it was cool!
