Creative Devlopment
- Creative Theme Development
- Art Direction & Design
- Advertising
Product Devlopment
- Trend Analysis & Development
- Product Strategy & Design
- Package Design
Since 1907, Neiman Marcus has combined the magic of distinctive merchandise, superior service and continual transformation to serve legions of loyal customers. They continue to stay true to the highest of principles, reinventing the shopping journey for luxury customers that seek impeccable brand experiences with legendary service.
Client: Caribou Coffee
- Theme + concept development
- Design + art direction
- Packaging design, product design, in-store experience
Caribou Coffee, born in Minnesota, is as authentic as the large skim latte (with an extra shot), that fills my tank daily. It was with that purity that we dove into visualizing what a dreamy holiday world could look + feel like, 'Bou Wonderland emerged, a sugary, playful zone that celebrates all wintery holidays with sunny skies + smiling (caffienated) inhabitants.
This project has always been a favorite for me. Crafted in exceptional collaboration with superstar colleagues, it is as artful as it is clever, and as cheery as it is straightforward. A happy place that creates cavities.
Client: College of Visual Arts
- Concept development
- Design + layout art direction
The College of Visual Arts (CVA), is a private, four-year college of art and design offering a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in fine arts, graphic design, illustration, fashion design, and photography in St. Paul, Minnesota.
As part of new student development and promotion, we developed a digital experience that shares the CVA story by highlighting success. A collection of inspiring first-hand stories from students in the program and graduates that have found purpose from their individual experiences.
As an alum of CVA, the opportunity to create this digital experience was as much a gracious tribute for the gifts discovered and gathered, as it was a business solution. CVA was a diving board for dreammaking and I cherish that I belong to that legacy.
Client: Linden Hills Co-op
Brand Building
- Identity development
- Brand vision + visual system
Brand System
- Community + promotional collateral
- In-store experience
Linden Hills Co-op opened its doors in 1976, to create a food-focused community store for the Linden Hills neighborhood in Minneapolis. The primary catalysts, to create community and provide pure food options. Food you can trust; less-processed, less-packaged, more whole foods at a reasonable price.
The differentiating strength? Decades of commitment to the nourishment of the community through locally made/raised foods, and a robust community giving program.
When an opportunity to freshen up a community pillar came about, we jumped. The story and love from the cooperative was intact. It was taking that passionate baseline and augmenting an updated identifying uniqueness. Refresh, energize, and reinforce? Yes please.
Dinner is served.
Photography: Nancy Bundt
Client: Clinic Sofia
Brand Building
- Brand strategy + positioning
- Identity development
- Brand vision + visual system
Brand System
- Corporate + promotional collateral
- Product experience
- Digital experience
Clinic Sofia is a devoted team of obstetricians and gynecologists, united in a mission to provide complete healthcare for women. They are a collection of teachers, nurturers and confidants with a simple approach: take time to listen to patients, understand their concerns, and give them the tools to be an advocate for personal health. Because a healthy community happens one patient at a time. (Nice, right?)
Clinic Sofia is inspired by the Greek goddess Sophia, a symbol of women’s wisdom, life stages, fertility, monthly cycles and nurturing. Sophia represents the wisdom that guides the practice and the women they care for.
Working with Clinic Sofia, during both the strategy and creative processes, was as nuturing as the inspiration that comes from their mission, vision and values. Our journey was immersive, organic and thoughtful. The results cradle every bit of our exploration with the integrity that emanates from the life cycle resource they've created.
Illustration: Andy Powell
Recognized by Communications Arts for excellence
Brand Building
- Brand strategy + positioning
- Identity development
- Brand vision + visual system
Brand System
- Corporate + promotional collateral
- Product experience
- Digital experience
With a heritage of 125 years, Aalfs Manufacturing doesn't just make apparel that fills closets + dressers today, it has been part of fashion history for decades. A private label denim kingdom, Aalfs has been making blue jeans, 5-pocket indigo for denim purists, for so long, there is a museum-worthy vault of historic product to prove it.
When we embarked on the process of the brand refresh, we approached it with gobs of respect for the legacy. We shoved off into the blue, crafting the framework that pays homage to that collected expertise, but, with a polished visual system that engages today's apparel industry with a memorable brand story.
- Brand development
- Design + art direction
- Product + packaging design
Two guys, with backgrounds in style + design, and a love for beautiful things, create a line of candles with a simple goal: marry form + function for the senses.
With simplicity at the root of steering; a thoughtful selection of premium organic ingredients collected, blended + gently housed in well-crafted packaging. Our strength, the perfect assembly of authentic partners, everyone focused on creating a memorable product experience, making our little dream materialize.
One more thing to scribble from the list, and it's a biggie in this life, "Make Peace.". Yes, we have and it feels so good.
grahamandkane.com
Client: The Boldt Company
- Theme + concept development
- Design + layout art direction
For 125 years, The Boldt Company has been delivering value to its customers and their communities. Value — like beauty — is in the eye of the beholder. It transcends cost. In construction, value paradigms are as many and varied as there are sizes and types of buildings.
A school educates future generations. A power plant creates light and heat — jobs and prosperity — that advance our civilization. A hospital is a place of hope and healing.
Once the building is filled with the heartbeat of human activity, value comes to life.
With that inspiration, we plotted a path for delivering upon the generations of constructive impact. We had the easy part, organize the excellence captured by photographer David McLain and compliment that beauty with an immersive print experience.
Yes, it's on our coffee tables.
Photography: David McLain
Client: Minnesota Zoo
- Theme + concept development
- Design + art direction
- Identity, event materials
A valuable resource created by the State of Minnesota, the Minnesota Zoo opened in 1978 with a mission to connect people, animals, and the natural world to save wildlife. Immersive exhibits provide experiences with animals + their habitats, introducing guests of the zoo to rare and endangered animals from around the globe.
We had the honor of creating the event theme + materials for the 25th anniversary fundraiser that supports the zoo operations and their award winning education + conservation programs that protect endangered species and preserve critical ecosystems.
With an event name like, "The Beastly Ball", you know there is room for wild creative exploration. Then, there is also a need to convey the urgency to support a favorite resource. We did this by carefully combining expressive line art, pattern and punctuated color usage. Who knew that a beastly celebration could be so artfully crisp? I guess we did.
Illustration: Andy Powell
Client: Target
- Design + art direction
Target exemplifies great design -- fun, energetic, surprising and smart — and that doesn't just mean how something looks. It also satisfies a need, simplifies life, makes you feel good and affordable, to all. This is delivered with a cohesive spirit which has resulted in amazing success.
Running errands just got so much more entertaining. Everyone needs "the essentials" for home — paper towels, laundry detergent, sandwich bags...let's see...what else do I need. Right?
Target wants that experience to be more fun for you and the kiddo, (Well, mostly for you. To make your life easier.) Tah-da, "build-a-torso". Delivering smiles, deals + your shopping list, all in one little paginated experience.
Now that's, Expect More, Pay Less.
Photography: Bonnie Holland
Client: Deluxe
- Theme + concept development
- Design + art direction
W. R. Hotchkiss founded Deluxe with innovation, the first personalized flat-pocket checkbook. Now, more than 100 years later, Deluxe is a growth engine for small businesses and financial institutions as well as one of the top check producers in North America.
Deluxe shows no signs of slowing down. Whether a small business on Main Street or a bank on Wall Street, Deluxe can help meet those unique business goals.
Client: Colder Products Company
Brand Building
- Brand strategy + positioning
- Identity development
- Brand vision + visual system
Brand System
- Corporate + promotional collateral
- Digital experience
Colder Products Company, (CPC), began in St. Paul, Minnesota and is now the leading provider of quick disconnect couplings, fittings and connectors for plastic tubing. What does that mean? They connect really cool things with their technologies and products.
CPC connection solutions improve the overall functionality and design of the equipment and processes in which they are used. Special product features include built-in shutoff valves to prevent product spills and an easy-to-use, push-button thumb latch for quick connecting and disconnecting.
The key to success isn't complicated, it's simplicity. With that notion as a guiding principle, we absorbed, analyzed and distilled the scientific layers to create an organized visual system that is as precise as the product attributes and performance.
The other key to success? A great client. They trusted the process, worked with fluid collaboration and welcomed the results with great responsibility to support change. It was an honor for our team to construct this story with the stewards that will make it flourish.
(Click), connection confirmed.
Client: Progressive Packaging
Brand Building
- Identity development
- Brand vision + visual system
Brand System
- Corporate + promotional collateral
Progressive Packaging makes and sources packaging solutions for a wide variety of needs — from case ready, fresh meat & poultry, and frozen foods, to convenience meals and snacking.
Having worked closely with brand owners in food processing and consumer brands, Progressive Packaging recognizes the value of a strong identity. They uniquely develop and innovate packaging solutions that maximize a brand’s value on store shelves and in consumers’ daily lives. They achieve this with their in-house design capabilities which produce molds and parts capable of testing form, fit, and function. This offers customizable uniqueness with countless efficiencies when launching a project quickly and keeping it unique to branded attributes.
Progressive Packaging is innovating modern solutions with sustainable packaging alternatives in mind. Todays consumers apply carefully appointed value to products through a sensitive filter of purpose — definition of materials that house their favorite items, all the way to the footprint in the creation and delivery process. Progressive Packaging understands that consumer necessity and market opportunity with products that are crafted and sourced with sustainable, and environmentally conscious materials.
Photography: Judah Dueck
Client: U.S. Bancorp Piper Jaffray
- Theme + concept development
- Design + layout art direction
Since 1895, Piper Jaffray has been a leading financial services company committed to delivering integrity, insight and impact to each and every relationship. Collaboration and candor have always been, and still remain, the cornerstones of their promise to clients and to one another—enabling inspired confidence by exceeding expectations.
Leaving a good impression is pretty critical in business. Delivering upon that notion can come in a variety of ways — But, doing so with memorable excellence ever-wins the key accounts, acquiring the best talent and keeping brand reputation golden. We cleared the clutter and stripped down to simplicity to tell this story, combining embossed and debossed artwork to sculpturally entice engagement.
Client: Platinum Insurance
Brand Building
- Identity development
- Brand vision + visual system
Brand System
- Corporate + promotional collateral
Renowned for its passion, integrity and sincere desire to help others, Platinum Insurance markets policies that can help with financial shortfalls left by traditional health insurance plans, keeping families, and their communities, financially secure.
Platinum cares deeply about its customers and employees, and stands firmly behind its mission to provide the best products and services, while presenting employees with every opportunity to succeed.
When we met with Platinum it was obvious, their passion for what they do is thoughtful and intentional. With that commitment and vibrance as our guide, development included an examination of how to visually deliver company culture and spirit. We designed a conceptual graphic solution that has an energetic appeal, indicative of the passionate and innovative nature of Platinum — interwoven shapes reflect a sense of trust, with the center star representing customers, customer service reps, and employees surrounded by a dynamic array of products, support and benefits of a caring company.
The illustrations vibrantly represent the full-spectrum of services and a sense of place for the Platinum business, from rural landscapes to main street America. We designed the artwork to have extensive flexibility for communications. Each large illustration can be used in its entirety, to tell a whole story, or can be carefully broken up and used in smaller vignettes to fit specific design and content needs.
The accolades on this project belong to our client. We boldly constructed the unexpected and they believed in the conceptual positioning. They commited to this illustrative world knowing it would differentiate their specialized brand story with the heart it deserved. A wonderful reward for us all.
Illustration: Patrick Hruby
Client: The Townsend Group
Brand Building
- Identity development
- Brand vision + visual system
Brand System
- Corporate + promotional collateral
- Digital experience
Townsend is a leading provider of global investment management and advisory services primarily focused on real estate and real assets.
Their differentiating position is anchored with a commitment to telling their story with unique creativity, in a tone that reflects their thought leadership. Townsend doesn’t rest on its laurels, rather, it is always thinking outside the box to achieve goals that often vary from client to client.
How did we bring that to tangible form? A visual system that is as unique as the businesses they serve.
Color. It is one of the strongest elements of any visual system, providing immediate cues about a brand. We built Townsend's color palette with a series of sophisticated muted tones complimented by bursts of brightness. The system relies on a vast use of white space, a critical landscape for this brand story. We determined color should be used with restraint for adding visual interest and to differentiate information to align with the visual brand with distinction and specificity.
Too heady? Too distilled? Nah, this reflects the sophisticated elegance of thought at the core of this brand.
They get it. So we gave it. Mission accomplished.
