Journal
Notes on brands, packaging and getting products to market.
Practical guides from the studio — what we have learned designing identities, packaging and retail spaces, written for the people building the businesses.
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How to get your product into stores: a guide to wholesale and retail buyers
Getting on shelf is one milestone. Staying there is another. How to find the right retailers, pitch them well, and support your product once it is stocked.
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How to make food packaging feel premium (without inflating the cost)
Premium is a set of signals, not a price tag. Here is how restraint, typography, materials and finish combine to make a food product feel worth more.
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PR boxes: when they are worth it, and how to make one people remember
A good PR box gets opened on camera, written about and kept. A bad one gets recycled unopened. The difference is mostly planning.
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Crafting a press pitch that lands: tips for product brands
Editors receive hundreds of pitches. Most are ignored. Here is how to write one that gets read — and gives a journalist a reason to write about you.
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Which printing process should you choose for your packaging?
Digital, offset, flexo, screen or foil? The print process affects cost, minimums, colour and finish. A plain-language guide to the main options.
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Winning the shelf: how packaging design actually drives sales
Your pack is a small billboard that has to work in the busiest, noisiest place your product will ever be. Here is what makes the difference.
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Seven tips for packaging copy that stands out
Packaging copy has very little space and very little time. Here is how to make every word count — on the front panel and the back.
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Throwback packaging: using nostalgia to build trust
Vintage illustration, heritage type and retro colour can make a new product feel trusted. How to use nostalgia without looking dated.
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Niche down: why the most specific brands win
Trying to appeal to everyone is the fastest way to be remembered by no one. How to find a niche, and why it makes branding and marketing easier.
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How to name a business or product: a process that works
A name is one of the few brand decisions that is very hard to change. A step-by-step process for finding one that is memorable, meaningful and available.