The year was 2009. And it marked the last time we developed an actual printed and die-cut licensing program style guide. This highly-immersive piece was created for Hasbro’s The Littlest Pet Shop lifestyle licensing program to announce the brand’s new “paw print” creative strategy, which we established … Read More
There’s a reoccurring mindset among some of our toy industry clients that’s somewhat baffling to our creative team. Whenever we’re in the midst of a package design refresh, and we determine that the brand would benefit from leveraging black as its dominant color, there’s considerable push-back. It’s … Read More
My experiences have likely been a marketer's dream. As a parent who has watched my kids and their friends grow up, I've made plenty of observations. It's true. Kids are more sophisticated today. They take to the latest technological marvels effortlessly. They're media savvy and exposed to … Read More
Given the fact that our roots are in the toy industry, appealing to kids has always been an area of expertise for our team. Over the past twenty years, we've conducted a considerable amount of research to understand how best to capture and maintain the attention of … Read More
A well-designed packaging program and guidelines to support its standardization are a necessity for every licensed property. It's truly the only way to ensure that a cohesive package design system is in place across a variety of consumer product categories. One of the biggest challenges for licensed … Read More
Brands need cultural relevance to survive and thrive. Relevant brands merge with specific consumers lifestyles, but the strongest brands inspire and create their own cultures. They're edgy in some way and they transcend boundaries. They are understood and embraced globally as long as they remain unique, authentic … Read More
Whenever someone writes a piece about the 3 things you should do to ensure success at anything, I’m usually skeptical. Because I know there’s a lot more to it than just getting a few things right. And, yes, that’s certainly true in this scenario as well. There’s … Read More
Every licensed brand has its own unique set of attributes that resonate with its fans. Therefore, each should be treated uniquely in how it they are represented visually within the consumer product marketplace. Instead of employing the same templated approach to the development of design assets for … Read More
A brand's package design architecture is most often what resonates first and foremost with consumers. While some consumer product brands don't leverage package design architecture as an integral part of their package design, most knowledgeable brands do. In some cases, it's obvious; in others, less so. Package … Read More
Owners of licensed brands, as well as their licensees, are sometimes disappointed by the sales of licensed consumer products. Even for strong properties, sales can fail to meet projections. Quite often, the problem lies in the fact that the property's packaging program is poorly designed and its … Read More
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