In-Stadium Print Ads:

KAYABI: DODGEBALL EVOLVED

CHALLENGE: In 2014 NY Kayak Company looked to name and develop a soup-to-nuts brand for a new sport combining kayaking and dodgeball. The Catch? They were a month and a half away from the start of the kayaking season.

SOLUTION: Turning our biggest challenge into our greatest strength, we decided to leverage the power of the collective and made branding into a team sport.  And the crowd-sourced brand was born.

PROJECT EXECUTION: Brand Strategy, Brand Development, Brand Identity, Web Design & Development

HOW WE DID IT

1.  First we alpha tested the sport (as much as we could)
2.  Then we designed an event to crowd-source the name and brand personality from carefully selected participants.

Knowing damn well that this could backfire we leveraged our experience in:

• design-thinking facilitation
• innovation hacking
• caffeine drinking

In doing so we were able to capture the true spirit of the game, name and develop a full brand identity, website, + handbook and swag in time for the upcoming season.

OFFICIAL KAYABI HANDBOOK

KAYABI WEBSITE

KAYABI SHWAG

CREO SMARTGLASS

CHALLENGE: Creo, the new kid on the block was looking to solidify their place in the market by launching a new line of beautiful cookware using a new technology which bonds ceramic + glass.

SOLUTION: First we established a solid brand foundation and crystalized the brand's voice. We named the technology Smartglass for its ability to go from oven to freezer.
Then we joined in the prototyping phase:

• guiding design

• providing color trend analysis and pantones

• wrapping it all up with some tasty package design.

PROJECT EXECUTION: Product Development, Brand Strategy, Photography, Package Design

DESIGN & COLOR:

We designed two lines of Smartglass bakeware and nesting bowls for Creo:

1. GREY MATTERS line hit urban dwellers demo like a double-shot of Stumptown Espresso. Matte grey spectrum with signature white pop interior.

2. POP line aimed to appeal to modern foodies that make the kitchen the centerpiece of their home by creating accent pieces they'd proudly display in the kitchen and on the table.

SIGNATURE STYLE

To draw attention to their high-tech materials and quality production we created a signature white interior and designed an ownable manufacturer's mark that harkens back to the original Pyrex. 

PACKAGING:

UNITED PURPOSE
A COMMUNITY OF 1500+ HIGH CALIBER
INDIVIDUALS IMPROVING THE WORLD.

In 2013 Bryan D'Alessandro co-founded UP with national security expert Dan Dolgin, and former CGI executive Marilia Bezerra. 

If you ever watched a TED Talk and felt inspired to take action but weren't sure how, UP was the answer.

Our events range from intimate dinners and private screenings to salon discussions and field trips.
We design unforgettable experiences bringing together the top minds, performers, and organic chefs in the most inspiring spaces around NYC.

PROJECT EXECUTION: Business Development, Brand Development, Strategy, Event Design, Video Production

UP INTRO VIDEO

THE HERO'S BALL

WE'VE HOSTED 50+ EVENTS INCLUDING:
 

•   The Power Of Mass-Scale-Movements at Foursquare Offices

•   Film Screening "The Overview Effect" at Redbull Studios NY
    with a panel of the Director, two Astronauts, a Futurist, and a Zen Buhddist Priest

•   A Subversive Tour of The Met w/ Museum Hack + Victorian Picnic in Central Park

•    Global Family Reunion exploring genealogy w/ Author A.J. Jacobs (Editor at Large for Esquire)

•    GEveryone @LRN, crowd-sourced ideas were fed directly to the G8 Summit

MEMBERS WEBSITE + FORUM

SAMAYA

CHALLENGE: 
Samaya's meditation pillows use luxurious fabrics filled with calming lavender flowers- standing far and away from the crunchy status quo. A beautiful product that puts a spin on an ancient practice. With a fast growing 8% of Americans (18m) using meditation as a practice meditation is not just for monks anymore.

But product is one piece of the puzzle. These are interesting times for new brands-who can break out of the tired wholesale model and maximize margin on their own-but, its a lot more than slapping up a site and a few social posts. That's where The Humans come in. 

SOLUTION:
Strategy is king at any stage, but for brands starting out it can be the lifeblood. From pricing to positioning, competition to connections, merchandising to marketing- we helped the founders of Samaya to crystalize their vision. 

RESULTS: 
Samaya had a dream retailer in NYC. Leveraging our industry connects-which are far and wide-we connected Samaya to that retailer. Within two months Samaya's NYC debut was on those very shelves. This was just the first step for us supporting Samaya. As they grow we will continue to share in-market connections, expertise, and input evolving the brand in alignment with their guiding principles.

PROJECT EXECUTION: Brand Strategy, Business 

1800 Tequila

CHALLENGE: 
Patron was dominating the super-premium tequila category and consumers weren’t even venturing out to taste other great tequilas. The perception of being luxurious led to the market going soft.

SOLUTION:
The quality of 1800 Silver let’s it go head to head with Patron. The attitude of the brand let it unleash a stomping.

RESULTS: 
Who better than the mafia to take it to the mattress? Right off of Sopranos epic success, we called in a “offer” to Michael Imperioli to bring the muscle. And that he did setting 1800 ablaze.

PROJECT EXECUTION: Concept Development, Creative Direction, TV, Logo Design

SKIPPY - Snackbars

CHALLENGE: A beloved pantry staple was looking to enter into the snack bar category and wanted to take it up a notch.

SOLUTION: How loves PB more than kids? Rastafarian elephants. We hired top-shop Rhythm & Hues to create a suite of characters that could appeal to kids and parents alike. If that wasn’t enough, we got the Baha Men to record the jingle.

PROJECT EXECUTION: Art Direction | TV

Autism Speaks - Colgate

CHALLENGE: For kids with autism and their parents, dental hygiene is often one of their daily struggles.

SOLUTION: An informational video that equipped dentists and parents alike with critical information they need to care for their kids’ teeth and gums.

PROJECT EXECUTION: Creative Direction, Film Production | TV

FULL CIRCLE

CHALLENGE: Full Circle was struggling to stand out on cluttered in-store shelves. With a product line of 50+ items they needed help in delivering a cohesive collection with consistent format and communication across the board.

They came asking for a pack redesign, we built them a brand. 

SOLUTION: We started from the Brand Foundation connecting the founders back with their passion. We began to uncover the brand personality developing an informed, conscious, and playful voice. This clarity was built into their information architecture- ensuring clear and cohesive communication across the brand's vast product line . We designed clean and simple packaging that allowed for higher visibility on crowded store shelves.

PROJECT EXECUTION: Brand Identity + Voice, Strategy, Package Design, Icon Design

PACKAGE REDESIGN

PACKAGING ICON SYSTEM

Challenge: Design a simple set of icons to cut through on-shelf clutter, to inform and educate customers about Full Circle's sustainable materials.

BACK OF PACK ICONS:

WABI SABI SOUND

CHALLENGE: Wabi Sabi is a boutique sound design company with a background in cinematic blockbusters and high-end gaming. To say they are unique is a gross understatement. To capture the sound of a monster's guttural snarls they filled a kiddie pool with jello and sloshed through it.

SOLUTION: The talent and passion were there, we helped develop their brand strategy and crafted a brand voice + identity that let their freak flag fly.

PROJECT EXECUTION: Brand Strategy, Brand Development, Brand Identity, Digital, Typography

VISUAL IDENTITY

LOGO, COLOR PALETTE, CUSTOM TYPOGRAPHY

WEBSITE

The concept was to take visitors on a journey,
through the discovery of sound styled by Hieronymus Bosch & Monty Python.

Here's WS founder Andy servin' up some tunes.

Because Black Bears can't breathe under water... obviously.

Flying fish are just plain rude.

APPAREL INSIDERS

CHALLENGE: As an online magazine exposing the nitty-gritty on the unspoken topics of the contemporary fashion industry, AI needed to cut through the clutter and reach a clientele of busy fashion execs.
We added filter functionality that allowed content to adapt to the needs of busy execs.

SOLUTION: We established a clean, editorial design for the brand and site, and created advanced filter functionality, allowing for ease of use.

PROJECT EXECUTION: Brand Development, Brand Strategy, Web Design & Web Development, Digital

PACKAGING DESIGN