We recently spoke to Kourtney Kardashian about the launch of her brand new lifestyle website, Poosh. In her interview with Refinery29, she gave some shoutouts to close friends who helped her bring this space, where she invites women to "live their best lives," to fruition. Well-known names like Kourtney's high school friend and beauty blogger Sarah Howard and Kim Kardashian's assistant Stephanie Shepherd were both dropped as people involved in the project, but we were also curious about the behind-the-scenes contributors. Who else has been helping Kourtney bring the vision of Poosh to life?
While we don't yet have an editorial staff roster, we do know who is responsible for one big part of the Poosh brand: its design. We recently spoke to Amber Asay, creative director of Nice People Co, the Los Angeles-based creative agency that Kourtney Kardashian tapped to help create her new website. Asay told us about the collaboration process, Kourtney's aesthetic, and even revealed one of the site's name runners-up.
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Refinery29: Tell us a little bit about Nice People Co. What does the company do and what is your role?
Amber Asay: We're a design studio in L.A. We all work remotely right now but hope to have our own space some day. We focus on branding first and foremost and any extensions that come out of that, whether it's print or digital. So we tackle a project from a holistic view at the beginning and then dive into all the details as we go along. We work with a lot of startups and we work with businesses small and big to really take their brand to the next level.
Amber Asay: We're a design studio in L.A. We all work remotely right now but hope to have our own space some day. We focus on branding first and foremost and any extensions that come out of that, whether it's print or digital. So we tackle a project from a holistic view at the beginning and then dive into all the details as we go along. We work with a lot of startups and we work with businesses small and big to really take their brand to the next level.
How did you first connect with Poosh and Kourtney?
Sarah Howard reached out to me. I had actually worked on Rose Inc. with Rosie Huntington Whiteley. Kourt and Sarah both loved that site and when they found out that I worked on it, they reached out to me to bring Poosh to life. That was really exciting for them to reach out.
Sarah Howard reached out to me. I had actually worked on Rose Inc. with Rosie Huntington Whiteley. Kourt and Sarah both loved that site and when they found out that I worked on it, they reached out to me to bring Poosh to life. That was really exciting for them to reach out.
Can you walk us through the process of working with Kourtney to bring Poosh to life? What was the collaboration process like?
When Sarah first reached out to me, I had a quick intro call with her, and then she said, 'Why don't we have a meeting over at Kourt's house.' So I basically dove right into going to Kourtney’s house, met her in person, and kind of got a better idea of what she was looking for, what this project was. They didn't have a name yet. They had a couple of names in mind including Poosh, but they hadn’t completely settled on that yet, and this was probably back in the summer of last year. I know Sarah and Kourtney had been talking about it for a few months before I had my first meeting with them. It was really exciting because they were both really energetic and excited about the project, and we were all just kind of bouncing ideas off each other, and they were telling me a lot about their goals for the project and all of that.
When Sarah first reached out to me, I had a quick intro call with her, and then she said, 'Why don't we have a meeting over at Kourt's house.' So I basically dove right into going to Kourtney’s house, met her in person, and kind of got a better idea of what she was looking for, what this project was. They didn't have a name yet. They had a couple of names in mind including Poosh, but they hadn’t completely settled on that yet, and this was probably back in the summer of last year. I know Sarah and Kourtney had been talking about it for a few months before I had my first meeting with them. It was really exciting because they were both really energetic and excited about the project, and we were all just kind of bouncing ideas off each other, and they were telling me a lot about their goals for the project and all of that.
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From there, the process was very similar to how I tackle any process for a brand and website project. I always start any new project off with a mood board, so we went into the mood board phase of, how bold do we want it to be? How minimal do we want to go? Exploring the range of options visually to see where we wanted to land with the project. In the mood board phase, we went through a few revisions and landed in a place that felt warm, that felt sunny and California and also had a sexy vibe to it as well, and just felt like this confident woman. It wasn't too playful or bright or colorful. It wasn't too sweet or sugary, which was another mood board option. There was a very sugary, sweet option and Kourtney said, 'That's not me.' There was another option that was much more minimal and so we landed in this happy medium that actually felt perfect for Kourtney and for the Poosh brand.
With that vision in mind, we first dove into website design. We jumped over logo for now because they hadn't landed on a name yet, but we were basically assuming it was going to be Poosh, it just wasn't final yet, and they wanted to work with their lawyers on that first so we kind of skipped a step that I usually do, which is branding first and dove right into website design, and that process went so smoothly. I was pleasantly surprised by how easy it was to work with Kourtney and how involved she was in every phase of the project too and how she was very thorough in looking everything over and making sure she was happy with it and asking the right questions. I felt like that process went smoother than it does with other clients too. Some clients go through revision after revision, and they're very indecisive, but I felt like with Kourtney, it was the opposite. She knew exactly what she wanted. I feel like the mood board process paved the way to where we went. I feel like I understood where she was coming from and what she wanted and just got right into designing the website, and it was approved pretty quickly in my opinion.
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Yeah, I feel like Kourtney does have a design sensibility so it makes sense that she would into that process.
I feel like I got to see that when I went to her house for the first time, too. I didn't really know what her house looked like and then I got there and I was like, 'Oh, she has a really cool house,' and I feel like I suddenly understood the kind of a person she is and the aesthetic that she has just by her home alone, so that I think helped me know what she looks to for inspiration and the general vibe that is 'Kourtney.'
I feel like I got to see that when I went to her house for the first time, too. I didn't really know what her house looked like and then I got there and I was like, 'Oh, she has a really cool house,' and I feel like I suddenly understood the kind of a person she is and the aesthetic that she has just by her home alone, so that I think helped me know what she looks to for inspiration and the general vibe that is 'Kourtney.'
You mentioned that there were a couple of other name ideas Kourtney was throwing around for the website. Can you share any of those with us?
One of them was the name of the first street that she lived on. I can't remember what it was exactly, but it was cute. I think it was a street in Beverly Hills that she grew up on and that was one of the high contenders because it was nostalgic to her. I think that was a lot of what was drawing her attention for names. With Poosh and with this street name, they just felt homey to her and they felt familiar. I feel like she has such a big heart that it makes sense that she wanted a name that really spoke to her as an individual.
One of them was the name of the first street that she lived on. I can't remember what it was exactly, but it was cute. I think it was a street in Beverly Hills that she grew up on and that was one of the high contenders because it was nostalgic to her. I think that was a lot of what was drawing her attention for names. With Poosh and with this street name, they just felt homey to her and they felt familiar. I feel like she has such a big heart that it makes sense that she wanted a name that really spoke to her as an individual.
I know Kris Jenner is a big supporter of her kids' business ventures. Was she involved in the process at all?
Yes, she was! Kourt kept referencing her mom during the process and talking about getting input from her. I never got to speak directly with her, but it was fun to hear on the other side how much of a cheerleader Kris was during the process and how she helped to make business recommendations. I mean, who wouldn't want that kind of a support system?
Yes, she was! Kourt kept referencing her mom during the process and talking about getting input from her. I never got to speak directly with her, but it was fun to hear on the other side how much of a cheerleader Kris was during the process and how she helped to make business recommendations. I mean, who wouldn't want that kind of a support system?
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Your job sounds really cool. Do you have a design background or do you come at it from the tech side?
I don't code, so I brought a developer in on the project who developed the whole site for me. Once I finished off the designs, I handed them over to my developer who developed the site on WordPress and Shopify. But, yes, I have a design background.
I don't code, so I brought a developer in on the project who developed the whole site for me. Once I finished off the designs, I handed them over to my developer who developed the site on WordPress and Shopify. But, yes, I have a design background.
I've been designing for about ten years now, and I've jumped from agency to agency and dealt with a lot of horrible bosses and narcissistic bosses and realized that my experience in that world isn't unique. A lot of people experience that for some reason or maybe a lot of women in general, so I am hoping to change things within the design industry by creating my own studio, and you know, working with other women and empowering other women and their businesses.