What We Do > Research & Creative Strategy
Research & Creative Strategy for Toy and Entertainment Brands
Strategic Insights That Power Retail Success
At Design Force Inc., every successful design engagement begins with a clear understanding of the brand, the marketplace, and the consumer. Our pre-design research and creative strategy development work provides the insight and direction that sets the tone for everything that follows – whether we’re creating a licensing program style guide, a package design system, or a branded retail experience. Through our proprietary process, we uncover the strategic foundation needed to create design that is not only visually engaging, but also aligned with business goals and retail realities.
Design Strategy Grounded in Research, Elevated by Creativity
When launching a toy or entertainment brand, whether licensed or non-licensed, research and creative strategy development, prior to the design effort, is essential. Each brand has its own distinctive personality, heritage, target audience and position in the marketplace among its competitors. Therefore, the way it is presented to consumers at retail should be just as ownable. At Design Force, we conduct deep brand evaluations, competitive analyses, and trend forecasting to uncover opportunities and define the brand’s unique visual language.
Our pre-design research informs the creative strategy, which serves as the blueprint for the entire design initiative. Our ultimate goal during this phase is to achieve alignment among the brand’s stakeholders on a single approach to design, which empowers our design team to leverage that approach with visual consistency during the design phases. By identifying key visual cues that are unique to the brand and uncovering category-specific insights, we are able to establish an ownable creative strategy that will emotionally connect with consumers and drive retail performance.
Our research balances analytical thinking and creative intuition which, in turn, inspires brilliant ideas, ensuring that every style guide or package design system we create has strategic depth and real-world relevance.
OUR RESEARCH & CREATIVE STRATEGY EXPERTISE INCLUDES
- Proprietary pre-design research methodology
- Brand evaluation and audit of current brand assets
- Category and cross-category competitive analysis
- Trend research
- Creative strategy development
- Design briefing and cross-functional alignment
How We Translate Research Insights into Actionable Creative Strategy
Our research process starts with intense brand immersion. We evaluate the brand’s existing assets, study the competitive offering within the brand’s category, and identify market trends, both in-category and among cross-category brands, that appeal to the same target audience to build a comprehensive understanding of where the brand stands – and determine where it should go.
From there, we craft a creative strategy, presented as a formal document, that sets the foundation for design development. This document aligns teams, informs decision-making, and ensures every creative execution is purposeful, consistent, and on-brand.
Ready to Build a Perfect Creative Strategy for Your Brand?
Let’s uncover the insights to shape your licensing program or packaging system. With a clear creative strategy, your design journey starts with focus and confidence.
