Andrew Guckes | Staff Writer
When Hannah Westerman was designing the logo and overall brand for the Philly Specials’ Christmas album, she had no idea how popular the group would become.
“By the end of three years, we created this whole world. It’s been really special. They had hundreds of characters, from Philly legends and icons and celebrities, and hometown heroes, and now it’s kind of this timeless, recognizable piece,” Westerman said.
The album has become a staple in Philly over the last three years, with the three current or former Eagles’ offensive linemen, Jason Kelce, Lane Johnson and Jordan Mailata, that make up the Specials becoming beloved in a whole new way in the City of Brotherly Love.
Westerman’s art and the concept she helped create has a lot to do with it.
“We looked at different Christmas albums that already existed and thought about what kind of style and aesthetic we wanted to pursue. Everyone loves Charles Schultz’s illustrations for Charlie Brown and the Peanuts, and we decided to kind of play with that,” she said.
Westerman and the team got permission from the owners of Peanuts, and from there evolved the style a bit to make it their own. The final product is instantly recognizable and has made its way from album cover to other pieces of merchandise.
Westerman said that, despite the fact that it’s a Christmas album, she is proud that Jewish Philadelphia is represented in the project. In fact, there’s a deep tradition there. As she pointed out, a lot of Christmas classics that appear on the album were written by Jewish people.
Westerman’s work is now woven into the fabric of Philadelphia, but she grew up nearly as far away as one could while still living in the Lower 48 of the United States.
Raised in Portland, Oregon, attending a Reconstructionist synagogue, Westerman’s life was shaped by Jewish values from an early age, something that stays with her.
“Within Reconstructionist Judaism and most different sects of Judaism is the tenet of social action — tikkun olam,” she said. “And I think that that has really shaped a lot of my values, [the idea] that volunteering should be part of your life, as well as just being active in the community.”
Although she doesn’t belong to a synagogue, Westerman is still actively Jewish. She was recently featured as a speaker at BBYO’s International Convention, where she discussed her work and entrepreneurship with Avenue West, the design firm she started. She also makes sure to get plenty of Judaism into her free time.
I love the gathering aspect of Jewish culture, so my fiancé and I now host Shabbat at least a couple times a month with our friends and family, whoever is around,” she said. “We love to cook dinner for people, and we love kind of like an open door policy.”
Cooking Jewish food is another way that Westerman connects to her roots. She said her fiancé has mastered latkes.
“He can whip them up at any time,” she said.
For Westerman, the design projects that she takes seem to bring her closer to the community she nows calls home, across the country from where she grew up. Avenue West has designed billboards for the XPoNential Music Festival, the poster art for Philly Music Fest and art for The Fillmore Philadelphia.
Working with Jason Kelce, however, is as impressive as anything. The seven-time pro bowler spent his entire 13-year career in Philadelphia, which included a Super Bowl championship in 2018. Since then, he has been thrust into the national spotlight for entirely new reasons: His brother, Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, is perhaps more famous, and dating Taylor Swift. Additionally, Kelce has pursued work in other avenues like TV and advertisements. He’s as big as it gets in Philadelphia, and he goes to Westerman when he needs design work.
“I got connected with Jason Kelce, and I worked on his apparel brand and his nonprofit. We designed the identity and helped him launch both companies,” she said.
Westerman’s designs for projects like the Philly Specials and the music festivals fit the mood perfectly: They’re colorful, light and unique to her. Maintaining her identity in design is something that matters a lot to Westerman. She started out working at a design firm, but she said that it wasn’t what she wanted.
“I grew up with a mom who was an entrepreneur. I saw her live a very balanced life. She was always around, and she could always pause her work to be there for me as a kid. I saw both my parents prioritize a balance between work and life, and that just looked so appealing to me,” she said.
Not to mention, the business is quite literally in Westerman’s roots. Her grandfather owned an advertising agency before becoming a painter.
“I had all of these models of people who carved out a space for themselves with their work,” she said.
Now, she will continue to design, make art and lead a Jewish life. It wasn’t easy at first, but it paid off.
“I was 22, and I knew nothing about business. I just jumped in with both feet and hoped it would work,” she said. “Ten years later, I am so grateful to 22-year-old Hannah for making that decision.”