Overabove

There's a small town in Tuscany called Pienza that was designed in the 1400s by a pope who looked at his humble hometown and reimagined it entirely, not as a collection of buildings, but as a complete human experience.

Six hundred years later, you walk into the main square and something still clicks. The proportions feel right. The sightlines work. Light moves through the space with intention. You don't stop to analyze it. You simply feel it.

We use the word "placemaking" a lot in our world, at communities like Alys Beach and
BluestonePeak at Massanutten Mountain. Standing in Pienza, you realize the idea isn't new. It's just been overcomplicated.

The most meaningful design rarely announces itself. It disappears into the experience. Piccolomini figured that out in the 1400s, and it's still holding up.

Our CEO wrote about what that square reminded him of, and what it still has to say about design, restraint, and clarity.

The Original Placemakers - Overabove From Pienza to Alys Beach, discover how intentional placemaking, thoughtful design, and clear vision create places that feel timeless.

Some projects find you before they start.

Long before we did brand work for , our CEO knew that campus. His great aunt was one of its founding sisters. His mother was an alum. There was already a connection, something personal that changed the way he saw the work before it even began.

Recently, he came across a scrapbook she left behind. Letters between her and her brother, a bishop who was imprisoned in China during WWII. Across every continent, every hardship, the same sense of purpose ran through all of it.

That thread led directly to the campaign we built for USJ. For Good. Educated to do well. Empowered to do good.

The best brand work isn’t about invention. It’s about recognition, finding what was already there and giving it the language it deserves.

Full piece on our website. Link in bio.

There are projects that feel different before they even begin. Not because of their scale, but because you realize you're not approaching them from the outside.

Working with the University of Saint Joseph was one of those. Long before we started the brand work, our CEO knew that campus. His mother was an alum. His great aunt, Sister Joseph Mark McGurkin, who the family called Aunt Alice, was one of its founding sisters. Her life wasn't separate from the institution. It was embedded in it.

Recently, he came across a scrapbook she left behind. It documented decades of correspondence with her brother, Bishop Edward McGurkin, who was imprisoned in China during World War II. Different contexts, different continents, but the same thread of purpose running through all of it.

That consistency changed how we saw the brand work. The most meaningful thing we do is rarely about invention. It's about clarity, seeing what already exists and giving it the language it needs.

The full piece is on our website.

What Was Already There - Overabove In a world of technicalogical advances it is important to remember the basic levels of humanity while reaching audiences in marketing.

Great partners make it better!

If 2025 had a highlight reel, this would be it.
Check out the moments that mattered (and our most-loved Chester snacks) in Overabove Wrapped.

Overabove Holiday Wrapped 2025 Joomag digital interactive publication

📬 Postcards sending off the last official weekend of summer, signed with love from Overabove. Toes in sand, sunsets chased, mountaintops hiked. You were good to us but come Monday morning we’ll be opening our laptops happily, pumpkin spice in hand.