We live in an attention economy—and life insurance is stuck in the past.

It’s one of the most important products in the world, but it’s marketed like no one’s watching.

Good Grief was built to fix that. We took something timeless and gave it a personality people can actually connect with.

Same protection. Just finally built for this generation.

-Joshua Berduo
Good Grief Founder

A brand that doesn’t feel like insurance

Good Grief is built around a simple but powerful idea:

Make insurance feel like something people actually want to engage with.

The brand flips the industry on its head:

• No fear-based messaging
• No corporate tone
• No jargon

Instead:

• Humor
• Honesty
• Simplicity

The result?

“Insurance for people who actually live.”

The creative direction pulls from bold cultural references — vintage advertising, dark humor, and modern internet-native tone — designed specifically to resonate with younger professionals who typically avoid insurance altogether. 

Building the foundation (fast)

Joshua came to White Swan with a clear vision — but turning that vision into something tangible required structure, iteration, and close collaboration.

We started with an initial vision session to align on direction — not just what the brand should look like, but how it should feel. From there, we went to work translating that into a cohesive identity.

We developed the full brand system from the ground up:

• Logo design and brand assets
• Typography, color palette, and visual language
• UI components - buttons, inputs, links, and layout systems
• Text styling and tone guidelines to ensure consistency across the experience

Throughout the process, Joshua stayed closely involved. We shared regular video updates walking through progress, design decisions, and iterations — giving him the ability to react, refine, and shape the outcome in real time.

Once the brand was locked in, we moved into designing the full website experience.

We created:

• A conversion-focused landing page
• Privacy policy and terms of service pages
• Complete copywriting - from messaging to structure
• All UI layout, visual design, and supporting assets

Again, everything was communicated through previews and video walkthroughs, allowing for continuous feedback and refinement.

With design finalized, we built the entire site in Webflow — giving Joshua a fast, modern, and flexible setup where he can easily manage content and expand over time (including adding things like a blog).

After launch, we continued to iterate — making adjustments based on feedback to fine-tune design and tone.

See the website in action here.

Alongside the website, we also set up the supporting infrastructure:

• Email newsletter via Kit.com, integrated directly into the site
• DNS configuration, connecting everything to goodgriefinsurance.com
• A fully white-labeled White Swan account with custom branding and its own subdomain
• End-to-end analytics using Google Analytics across both the landing page and insurance flow

The result was a fully integrated foundation - brand, website, buying experience, and sales platform - all built to scale from day one.

And we didn’t stop there.

Going beyond scope

From the beginning, it was clear:

Good Grief wasn’t just another client project - it was a brand with real breakout potential.

So we pushed further.

While the initial Good Grief buildout — brand, website, and platform — was completed in just one week, we saw an opportunity to take things even further.

At no additional cost, we expanded our platform’s white-labeling capabilities specifically to support Joshua’s vision.

This wasn’t just a quick extension - it was a deeper investment.
Over the following weeks, we built out a significantly more flexible and robust white-label system, designed to deliver both simplicity and precision.

We introduced new design control across:

• Multiple button styles and advanced button configurations
• Link styling
• Full text color systems across all UI elements
• Input styling
• Font control across multiple levels of the platform
• Light and dark mode customization

All while intentionally keeping the system simple to use - allowing someone to update their entire brand (like fonts or colors) in one sweep, while still offering deeper control for more advanced use cases.

The result was a fully coherent, end-to-end branded experience.

From the first touchpoint on the landing page → through quoting → application → and even into the internal tools used by Joshua’s agents, everything feels like one unified product.

Not just for customers - but for the entire operation behind the scenes.

And this isn’t the first time we’ve built beyond scope to support a partner’s vision.

For example, our Paperclip integration was developed in a similar way — driven by a real need, and then turned into a capability that benefits the entire White Swan ecosystem.

That’s the philosophy:

We act in the best interest of our clients - and the broader White Swan community - by building what’s right, not just what’s required.

The result is a platform that continuously evolves - flexing and growing based on real-world needs, not rigid assumptions.

Less than 30 days to launch

Despite the level of customization, the entire platform — brand, website, and infrastructure — was delivered in under a month.

From idea → to live, scalable DTC insurance brand.

Pontus and Paul were killer to work with.

As a creative entrepreneur I’m very hesitant to work with people that might not understand the vision of what I’m building.

But with everyone at white swan they were very welcoming, willing to adapt to understand, and very easy to work with.

Beyond grateful for these guys.

-Joshua Berduo
Good Grief Founder

From content → to conversion

With the system in place, Joshua could finally do what he was best at:

Drive attention.

Now, instead of sending traffic into:

• Phone calls
• Manual workflows
• Fragmented systems

He could send it into a seamless digital experience:

• Quote
• Compare
• Apply
• Get covered

All while maintaining his brand voice and identity.

The result

Good Grief is now positioned as:

• A content-driven insurance brand
• A scalable DTC funnel
• A hybrid digital + outbound machine

All built on a system designed to grow with it.

What this means for you

This isn’t just a case study.

It’s a blueprint.

If you’re:

• Building a direct-to-consumer brand
• Generating traffic but struggling to convert
• Relying too heavily on manual sales
• Or looking to modernize your insurance operation

We can help you do exactly this.

Why teams choose White Swan

We’re not just a platform.

We’re:

• Fast
• Collaborative
• Highly responsive
• And deeply involved in making your vision real

We don’t force you into a rigid system — we adapt the system to you.

Get started

If you’re thinking about building something similar — or scaling what you already have:

👉 Book a demo
👉 See the platform