DESIGN CHATTER
Does your business need a design retainer?
Feb 03, 2025
What is the best route to get the most out of your design budget? It’s a familiar situation many small- and mid-sized businesses find themselves in as they execute their sales and marketing initiatives.
And the answer to the question is: It depends.
Many design agencies, including ours, offer project-based and retainer payment structures. With project-based work, you benefit from creative expertise without a long-term commitment. Meanwhile, retainers provide a dedicated,
Read More >>
When You Are Your Own Client: The Hardest Assignment
Jan 31, 2025
Designing a book cover is an art of endless, endless iterations, as author Mary Childs discovered during the creation of the cover art for her novel, The Bond King. While the final cover ended up being designed by an in-house art team, the author embarked on her own tandem creative journey, generating 13 cover art concepts that visually explored everything from yoga poses to bond certificate-inspired cliffs. Her design process highlights and explores the delicate balance a book cover design must walk: visually distilling what the book is all about,
Read More >>
Squid Game is a Sleeper Masterclass in Branding
Jan 29, 2025
Squid Game was a hit from the moment it aired, but the success goes more than just skin-deep. The Netflix series has an unmistakably bold and consistent visual identity, with jarring colors and outsized shapes. From the angular, geometric logo that reflects the mysterious nature of the games, to the now-iconic circle, square, and triangle icons that appear throughout the players’ ordeal, every design choice communicates intentionality. Even the striking pink and teal color palette makes the sharpest color palette,
Read More >>
New Year, New Branding Trends
Jan 24, 2025
Senior Designer at Mother Design, Bentzion Goldman, checks his 2024 branding trends predictions for accuracy and tries to forecast what the branding industry will look like in 2025. And the verdict is in: branding is taking bold turns in response to the uncertainties of the past year. The playful “dopamine design” of 2024, featuring bubbly fonts and bright color palettes, is making way for meaningful moments of joy and immersive brand storytelling. From Faculty’s Stone Age-inspired rebrand to Robinhood’s mature,
Read More >>
Smart Packaging Redesigns and Brand Growth: Yes, They’re Linked
Jan 22, 2025
Redesigning product packaging isn’t only about making something look better, it’s also about driving sales and most importantly, connecting with your consumers. The winners of the fifth-annual Designalytics Effectiveness Awards prove just how powerful design can be when it has data to back it up. The winners were selected from hundreds of U.S. package redesigns launched between July 2021 and September 2023, and these 10 consumer-packaged-goods brands achieved impressive sales increases of up to 30%!. By focusing on clear messaging,
Read More >>
2024’s Best Vinyl Album Covers
Jan 17, 2025
The 20th annual Best Art Vinyl Award winners are here, showcasing the best album cover designs of 2024. Artist Rajni Perera took the top spot with her stunning artwork for Hiatus Kaiyote’s Love Heart Cheat Code, and second place went to Lulu Lin’s bold, electric designs for Fontaines D.C.’s Romance, while Louis Browne landed third with the reflective cover of Carlita’s Sentimental. This year’s winners prove that vinyl isn’t just about music—it’s a platform for incredible visual storytelling.
Read More >>