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 measure whether your branding and packaging are working
Design is an investment, and investments should be measured. The numbers and signals that show whether your brand is pulling its weight.
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Market research for a new product: a step-by-step guide that does not need a big budget
Research is the cheapest insurance a new product can buy. You do not need a research agency — you need a method and some honesty.
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Logo, identity, brand: what is the difference?
The terms get used interchangeably, but they mean different things. Understanding the difference helps you invest in the right thing at the right time.
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Rebrands done right (and wrong): what to learn before you change your look
Some rebrands refresh a business for a decade. Others get reversed in weeks. The difference usually comes down to what was kept.
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From idea to shelf: a practical playbook for launching a consumer product
A product launch is a sequence, not a moment. Here is the order of operations we see work — from validating the idea to the first restock order.
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How to choose a branding or packaging design partner: the questions to ask
Portfolios only tell part of the story. These are the questions that show whether a designer or agency is right for your project before you sign anything.
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Graphic design for small businesses in Chicago: where to spend, and where not to
A practical guide for Chicago small businesses on which design investments pay back first — and how to work with a designer without wasting budget.
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Food packaging design: a practical guide from brief to shelf
Food packaging has to protect, inform and sell — and look appetising doing it. A guide to the decisions that matter, in the order they come up.
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Build your email list before you launch — and what to send it
Social platforms rent you an audience. Email lets you own one. Why every product launch should start with a list, and how to build it.
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Designing packaging for e-commerce: the unboxing is the new shelf
When products sell online, the first physical moment with your brand happens on a doorstep. How to design packaging that survives shipping and delights on arrival.