KFA’s Far Out 50th: How We Design LA Won the Netty Award for Best Retro and Vintage Graphic Design

When KFA entered its 50th year, We Design LA saw an opportunity to create something that did not simply mark a milestone but reframed it through intentional, era-specific storytelling. That work has now earned a Netty Award win for Best Retro and Vintage Graphic Design. This project looked back at the decade of KFA’s founding and treated it as a design asset rather than a nostalgic theme. The 1970s references were expressed through typography, color, and composition, but always executed with the clarity and craft of a contemporary brand system. The project also went beyond a party or moment. It became a unified system across digital, communications, invitations, signage, and physical space. It reinforced the meaning of the anniversary without relying on sentiment alone, and the win validates that anniversary design, when done well, can be a legitimate piece of brand strategy.

Innovation and Differentiation

The innovation in this work was found in how period influence was treated as a living brand tool rather than a decorative reference. The 50th anniversary logo was built directly from the identity We Design LA had previously designed for KFA, ensuring that the work honored brand equity instead of replacing it. From there, the team created a visual language that was unmistakably 1970s-influenced but not a parody of the era. Sunburst graphics, expressive type, and saturated palettes were treated with intention, clarity, and restraint. The anniversary system could travel across RFPs, microsite modules, email signatures, and invite collateral without looking like costume design. It was not about irony; it was about lineage. By centering the decade in which KFA was founded, the system acknowledged the origin of the firm while showing that heritage does not need to be frozen in time to remain relevant. This is what sets the project apart in the digital landscape. Competitors often treat milestone branding as a one-off packaging experience. In this case, We Design LA treated the milestone as a brand chapter that mattered to both legacy and future state.

Measurable Impact and Success

The results were both internal and external, both cultural and commercial. In digital environments, the anniversary logo lived inside business-critical touchpoints such as RFPs and email signatures, which meant that it was not simply symbolic. It was actively inside revenue pathways and relationship-building channels. This repetition reinforced credibility and reminded partners, prospects, and collaborators of the company’s longevity in a subtle but constant way. The invitation and signage system also proved its value before the event even started. RSVPs hit capacity before the deadline, which is a metric that speaks to the success of the design in activating anticipation. At the event itself, guests commented on how considered and coherent the brand experience felt. The work communicated that this was not a firm resting on its history, but one that could bring history into the present tense and express it through design intelligence. Internally, the work created pride and unity because employees saw their anniversary represented with seriousness and care. Externally, the project strengthened pthe erception of KFA as a firm that values creativity and invests in design with intention.

Creative Elements and Execution

This project succeeded because it was executed as a narrative, not as surface styling. The anniversary logo was the anchor, and that anchor created a permission structure for the visual world around it. The invitation became the first act in the narrative. It was crafted with era-relevant characteristics that were expressive and bold, but edited enough to fit the sophistication of the modern identity system. When recipients opened it, they were transported to the time and culture that shaped the firm’s origin. That immersion was continued inside the event environment. The signage, colors, patterns, and graphic language shaped the physical space so that the story began in the mailbox or inbox and resolved when the guest walked through the room. There was continuity, sequencing, entry, and payoff. It was not a one-dimensional graphic. It was a full system. These decisions are why the experience did not feel gimmicky or hyper nostalgic. Instead, it felt like a confident retrospective that acknowledged roots while pointing forward. That is storytelling through design rather than styling through references, and that is why the work resonated.

Overall Excellence and Industry Advancement

The most meaningful achievement of this project is that it reframed what anniversary branding can be. Too often, milestone design is treated as an accessory, or worse, as an afterthought. In this case, We Design LA treated the milestone as a strategic brand expression. From logo evolution to digital application to environmental graphics, the work showed how period influence can be a vector for relevance rather than a constraint. This raised the standard for anniversary work in architecture and design, and it contributed to a broader conversation about how legacy can be expressed visually in ways that are contemporary, confident, and useful. It also demonstrated that design can hold the weight of history while simultaneously expressing future potential. That combination is difficult to achieve and rare to see. By pushing the category forward and creating an anniversary identity that delivered function, pride, memorability, and continuity, We Design LA delivered excellence that has now been recognized at the highest level.

About We Design LA

We Design LA is a creative studio that partners with forward-thinking organizations to turn brand strategy into thoughtful, culturally intelligent design systems. Their work spans digital, identity, environmental, and integrated brand experiences.

About the Netty Awards

The Netty Awards are a prestigious awards program that honors top leaders and companies across various industries in the digital age. With over 100 unique categories and a longstanding track record as one of the most trusted organizations in the industry, the Netty Awards celebrate achievements in Design, Social Media, Influencers and Creators, Web, Advertising and PR, and Apps and Software. Recently featured in USA Today for their Top Agencies List, the Netty Awards are recognized as one of the most trusted agency directories for decision makers.