The Role of Strategy in Creative Work
When it comes to creative services, most people can imagine what graphic design, copywriting or even website design might entail. But the secret ingredient behind all of these tangible deliverables is the more subtle art of strategy. For us, strategy is about prioritizing your unique business goals and creating work that can directly support them. It’s also a matter of providing objective perspective and challenging existing assumptions about what makes your brand truly interesting or different.
For design clients, strategy might take the form of finding deeper meaning in your brand story that informs your logo concept. It could also mean tackling an everyday logistical problem in an artful and eye-catching way. Or in the case of photography, perhaps it's prioritizing a photoshoot that brings your product and target audience together in relatable, real world scenarios.
Alternatively, when it comes to copywriting and websites, strategy is often about taking a step back, seeing your business from your audience’s perspective and highlighting why they should care. It’s about anticipating their questions and leaving the unnecessary details on the cutting room floor, all while differentiating your brand in the market.
In truth, strategy is what distinguishes superficially interesting creative from work that effectively moves the needle for your business. We hope you’ll see traces of that skill in action throughout the recent projects shared below.
BRAND PHOTOGRAPHY
Client: SUPPAS | Boulder, Colorado
Over the past year, we’ve significantly grown our CPG portfolio to support several local, mission-driven brands. Among them is SUPPAS, a freeze-dried soup concept with the mission of providing easy access to nutrient-rich superfoods in a compostable package. After launching in July 2021, founders Paloma Lopez and Sean Ansett were beginning to expand distribution and were ready to take their marketing to the next level. Among their most urgent needs was high-quality lifestyle imagery, for which we developed concepts, sourced models and lightly styled the product. From busy working parents, to health-conscious adventurers, this shoot helped capture SUPPAS’ target audience in a series of approachable, real world scenarios.
CAMPAIGN COPYWRITING
Client: BentoBox | New York, New York
Last fall, we collaborated with hospitality tech company BentoBox on a national email and social ad campaign targeting restaurateurs. In light of labor shortages throughout the industry, the brand sought to share key findings from 2020 and 2021—as well as simple tech solutions—that could help busy teams diversify their revenue streams, optimize workflows and capture more profit. Blending our hospitality expertise with BentoBox's data-driven approach, we sourced industry-specific imagery and crafted engaging copy to share practical, actionable tips for holiday season success. The result was a timely campaign that addressed the unique concerns of restaurateurs and helped establish BentoBox as a trusted resource in the industry.
LETTERPRESS STATIONARY
Client: Surf Hotel | Buena Vista, Colorado
As many of our interactions have shifted to virtual or digital experiences, printed materials increasingly stand out as an unexpected marker of luxury. So we were thrilled when our longtime client, the Surf Hotel, asked us to help elevate their hospitality with the creation of craft letterpress gift card holders. Beyond an eye-catching foil-stamped envelope and a custom wax seal, this die-cut holder also addressed an ongoing practical need at the property: the ability to include two distinct gift cards—one for a hotel stay and another for restaurant dining—in a single format. Building on this design, we also created a custom letterpress card that the hotel staff could use for personalized in-room messaging with property guests. Thank you to Genghis Kern, our go-to letterpress printers, for executing our vision for this project so beautifully!
EDITORIAL
“Making the Case for Regenerative Ranching” - Life & Thyme
Our latest editorial work dives into a lesser known side of the cattle business: grass-fed, organic beef. Far from the image of feedlots conjured by environmental and animal advocacy groups, these wide-grazing animals not only produce a more sustainable product, they also help to reduce the low lying brush that contributes to wildfires and encourage the growth of wild grasses across otherwise barren land. With so much buzz around plant-based eating, it was fascinating to question whether the most eco-friendly food future actually lies somewhere between the extremes of vegan and carnivore—and how that should impact our choices as chefs, hospitality professionals and consumers. A huge thank you to Kay Cornelius and Darrell Wood of Panorama Organic, as well as Chris Kerston of Land to Market, for allowing us to share their stories.
