Stoddard Swap Meet
Visual Identity & Event Communication

39th annual event – by Stoddard NLA – at Stoddard NLA LLC, Cleveland – OHIO

A company whose business is preservation

For decades, Stoddard has supplied the parts that keep vintage Porsches on the road. Their work is preservation in the most literal sense: without them, cars would disappear from garages and roads. Each year they bring that community together at the Swap Meet in Cleveland, now in its 39th edition.

The moment

Each year, Stoddard Porsche Parts organizes the Stoddard Swap Meet in Ohio: a gathering for collectors and Porsche and vintage cars enthusiasts. For this edition, I was commissioned to design the full visual communication: from the illustration concept to its application across all physical and digital touchpoints: limited t-shirt edition of the year, registration form, prices, program, Instagram content.

 

Identité visuelle événementielle. Design et illustration de l'affiche. Stoddard Swap Meet, 39e édition. Graphiste à Paris. Agathe de Kermenguy.
Design de T shirt. Stoddard Swap Meet, 39e édition. Graphiste à Paris. Agathe de Kermenguy.

What I had to learn before drawing

A collectors’ world cannot be handled from the outside. I spent the first phase learning: Porsche generations and versions, the codes this community recognises instantly, and what in their brand platform was heritage worth protecting rather than visual habit. That study is what made the rest possible, and what made it possible to step away from convention.

The decisions

The client’s request was precise and counter-intuitive: a soft, summery palette, the opposite of the colours expected in the Porsche world. It was their idea, and it shapes the whole poster. This is not an announcement for a parts fair, it is an announcement for a summer Sunday among enthusiasts.

Design événementiel. Mise en page de programme. Stoddard Swap Meet, 39e édition. Graphiste à Paris. Agathe de Kermenguy.
Design événementiel pour Stoddard Swap Meet, 39e édition. Graphiste à Paris. Agathe de Kermenguy.
Design événementiel pour Stoddard Swap Meet, 39e édition. Graphiste à Paris. Agathe de Kermenguy.
Design événementiel pour Stoddard Swap Meet, 39e édition. Graphiste à Paris. Agathe de Kermenguy.
Social medias Logotype et affiche du Stoddard Swap Meet, 39e édition. Graphiste à Paris. Agathe de Kermenguy.

I explored several directions, including an acrylic painting I was fond of for its texture. Stoddard preferred the vector version, sharper and easier to reproduce across every format. In hindsight they were right: the precision of the line holds against the soft colours, where paint would have tipped the whole thing into nostalgia, exactly what we needed to avoid.

What was produced

The poster, the edition logo, the flyer and programme, the official t-shirt, award plaques, the event website, and community management across social media throughout the campaign. One visual language across every touchpoint, from print files to square formats.

Identité visuelle événementielle. Design et illustration de l'affiche. Stoddard Swap Meet, 39e édition. Graphiste à Paris. Agathe de Kermenguy.

Since

The event went well and the identity will be reissued next year. The collaboration continues on other projects.