m inspiring ideas | beautiful design | functional delivery
minnow design for retail
hello
...and thank you for taking time to look through our portfolio.
Minnow is an agency specialising in design for retail. We might sound like a little fish in a big design pool, but we are trusted by the biggest retailers and retail brands in the UK.
Our creative work is both desirable and practical. We’ve helped build entire brands as well as delivering best selling product ranges. We have decades of hands-on product development experience across the Far East and Asia, from product concept, through sampling, manufacturing and packaging, to point of sale. We are also adept at the post product development stage, designing marketing and promotional material to sell the benefits of the business or products we have helped create.
We combine a range of skills and styles to suit you and provide you with exactly what you need. Minnow brings together some great design talents including illustrators, textile
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designers, photographers, graphic designers, creating a design agency specifically focused on meeting the briefs of retailers and retail suppliers. We like to think, by
drawing on such different skills, that we can sprinkle some creative magic along with a good dusting of technical know how, to fulfill each brief perfectly.
If you like what you see, and we tickle your taste buds, then please call or email us to see more of our portfolio and discuss what we can do for you.
Zoe
zoe@minnowcreative.com +44 (0)1442 769260
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ZoĂŤ Mingos - director
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esearch and our historical knowledge of both the fine art and decorative art worlds are sometimes vital to create stylistically accurate and visually exciting ranges and brands. This was certainly the case when NBC Universal approached us to work with them on Downton Abbey. Although set firmly at the beginning of the 20th Century, it was important to accurately reference the period in which the television series is based whilst ensuring that a contemporary edge was adopted in order for the product designs not to appear as unfashionable period antiques.
Print designs taken from Downton styleguide
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Underpinned by thorough research into the UK homewares market, our style boards focused on design ideas for each area of the house. We created textile print designs as well as packaging guidelines, within a style guide format to meet the demands of both the UK and much larger US markets. a. Print designs b. Mood boards and packaging designs
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Downton® and Downton Abbey®. © 2014 Carnival Film & Television Limited. All Rights Reserved
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he success of BAFTA award winning Made In Chelsea meant that it was ripe for brand development into the teen gift/beauty market. The E4 programme shows key ingredients of super rich West London twenty somethings and their lives, loves, past times, make ups and break ups had to be condensed and styled into an eye catching, fun and funky guide that would stand up against many more established teen/fashion beauty brands.
Product concepts from styleguide
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Overleaf: Product concepts for make up
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Using largely type rather than illustration and pattern we boldly created a range of elements and icons that were all flexible enough for each product to reflect the often cheeky nature of the show’s characters. Copyright © 2014 Monkey Kingdom Limited and Channel 4 Television Corporation
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Licensing Award for Best Licensed Giftware Range - Peter Black
Licensing Award for Best Licensed Home DĂŠcor, Tableware or Housewares - Ethos Housewares
s the hugely successful television show was wrapping the second series we were approached by Love Productions and Metrostar Media to create the visual brand for what would become an award winning retail property. With no specific style, the only asset being a large cream tent and a blanket ban on using personalities from the show, the challenge was to create a look and feel for GBBO that gave it a character and place in an already crowded cookware market.
Sainsbury’s products using the ‘Bake Off’ styleguide
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Design work from the original style guide
‘Bake Off’ styleguide pages and covers overleaf
Inspired by the pre-war travel poster genre, our central stylised illustration became the keystone for the whole range. The posterly feel enabled us to capture the nostalgic village fete atmosphere of the TV show, simultaneously appealing to a very broad range of consumers. Retro typography, graphics and textile prints were layered to create a full branding styleguide. This was updated a year later with two new guides, with complementary but unique takes on the original look. Both Sainsbury’s and Marks & Spencer launched the ranges in 2012, with both suppliers (Peter Black 2013 and Ethos Housewares 2014) winning Brand Licensing Awards. Our work marked a creative a departure from the very oral/spotty/striped designs of the kitchen/cookware market and embedded a more sophisticated and unique style that has become synonymous with the television show.
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Selection of M&S and Sainsbury’s products
The Great British Bake Off is a trademark of Love Productions © Love Productions Ltd
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a. Catalogue design including photography and styling 2013 and 2014 b. Latex toys
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fter creating the original branding for this start up company in 2010, we have worked extensively on all sub brand and marketing initiatives. The company has grown at a phenomenal speed, becoming the UK’s market leader in pet care products. Seeing a distinctive gap in the UK and European markets for design led pet toys, bedding, feeding and general care, we have worked with the business to create designs that reected the vogue for lifestyle related accessories.
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Successes have been to create a new puppy and kitten range that was inspired by children’s toys, Hungry Hounds treat packaging and a Signature brand for a high end range of collars and leads. We are also responsible for the design of their marketing catalogue, managing both design and photography. a.
a. Petface branded collars and leads b. Rubber & latex toy development Overleaf: Sub-brand development
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Š Petface Limited
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dream job in our books, we were asked by the National Portrait Gallery to work on a project that would allow them to utilise their enormous back catalogue of famous images and create a portfolio of visual ideas that could inspire potential licensees to sign up and use their brand. From the strikingly modern to a wistful take on picture archiving and identity we manipulated, collaged, cut and framed portraits to give the gallery a broad range of fun ideas to market.
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Product concept ideas for NPG
Š National Portrait Gallery
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e were briefed to create a selection of Home and Travel products for Christmas 2014 with a more sophisticated and simple look that had not been achieved in stores in previous years. Working with a very simple palette, stylish text and pretty prints the product designs we created were so liked that the look and feel we created became the ‘in store’ Christmas look for Mothercare UK 2014.
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We have worked for over 5 years with the Home and Travel department within Mothercare. In 2013, we began a collaboration updating many bedding ranges, including Baby K, the Mylene Klass range of nursery soft furnishings and decorative accessories. From initial mood boards and concept development we then worked on all soft product designs and factory specifications. Print and pattern elements have then been transposed onto hard goods and gift. In 2015, Mothercare will launch 7 brand new ranges designed by us, with a completely new look and feel.
Baby K bedding and accessories
Š Mothercare UK Limited
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he Scout Association engaged with us to produce a style guide that drew on its rich archive of annuals, personal memorabilia and artefacts. Its aim was to market the brand away from its traditional and unique area of children’s development and activity to an older male market with fond nostalgic childhood memories of being Scouts. We scanned and restored old imagery as well as creating brand new illustrative and pattern elements, interwoven with a dose of tasteful tongue in cheek humour. The final design work is a bold set of creative elements, allowing potential licensees to develop statement pieces, suitable for mid tier high street retailers.
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a. Illustrated semaphore Scouts were created with articulated arms allowing for multiple poses and options. b. Gift/product label inspired by vintage badge cards c. Illustrated camping badge Overleaf: Scout collage overall repeat print, product designs and ‘Be Prepared’ style guide cover © The Scout Association. Registered Charity numbers 306101 (England and Wales) and SC038437 (Scotland). Incorporated by Royal Charter.
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orking on concept development for this large UK firm we developed a range of visual ideas that allowed them to forge ahead with a full programme of marketing promotions in their UK catering sites. The contemporary style features many collage elements and mixes multiple fonts to create a dynamic and creative base for promoting food offers within diverse facilities.
Above: Marketing campaign - 2014 for Less Than Range Overleaf: Marketing campaign - 2014
Š Baxter Storey Limited
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e have a long standing relationship with the Early Learning Centre. We have created many ranges for the brand including soft toy ranges, arts and crafts, girls play accessories including a giant wooden castle as well as 2013’s Summer fun styleguides for all those large paddling pools, arm bands and blow up children’s garden toys. We have extensive toy development knowledge and experience and can work to both a product’s budget and European safety standards. Design work for ELC includes print and pattern, character design, product design, product specifications and packaging.
‘Bugs’ soft toy range
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Blossom Farm is the core newborn toy range unique to ELC. We were approached to re-brand the range, from its old purple and green guise to a new updated and more soft and sophisticated look for the packaging and main logo. We have also been responsible for the re-brand of Mini Artist and Wonderland, the girls fantasy play range.
Character design for 2015 Summer fun range
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a. a. Mini Artist brand and packaging development b. Puzzle designs using bespoke illustrations
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Š Early Learning Centre
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Petite Patisserie gift set
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luebird was a small retail supplier which started out as a kitchen table business.
We have worked closely with the owner and founder to brand the business with a new distinctive logo, develop new bespoke products that have a clear brand style, marketing material for trade shows and a wholesale and public consumer website. Bluebird now has a client base of hundreds of independent stores including Selfridges and Harrods.
Š Bluebird Limited
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orking closely with Sally Hunter, the creator of Humphrey’s Corner, we developed a new range of prints and patterns to update the core look of the Humphrey collection. This ran over a wide series of books. Sally’s sweet nostalgic view of Humphrey’s world inspired a look that was reminiscent of childhood bedding and kitchen prints with muted retro colours. Sally had a wealth of beautiful sketches that Mothercare opted to use for a new simple grey and white newborn range of clothing, gift and accessories that we created the styleguide for.
Above: ‘With’ Humphrey books Overleaf: Packaging for Sketchbook Humphrey
Š Sally Hunter
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ith a background working as a licensee as well as licensor we are very au fait with the needs to work within a brand as well as being creative with the assets that are given, to create an interesting and attractive product range for retailers. If you are looking to take on a license and need some creative inspiration then we can provide you with product concept boards as well as product mock ups.
a. Dear Zoo products for Shreds. One of a number of licensed ranges designed for this supplier. b. Mr. Men product designs for Fred & Ginger
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s a fashion brand with a very pretty vintage feel to it, we worked on creating a range of packaging and identity designs that reflected the unique old store shop fittings that are used in each location. Labels and tags were formed to resemble old haberdashery packaging, cotton reels and sewing needle cards from the 1940’s and 50’s. The gift boxes and bags were designed to look like enlarged dress pin boxes. The overall look and feel enhanced the gift giving aspect of the product and enhanced the products ties to the store branding.
© Ollie&Nic
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or many years we have created numerous looks across both toiletries and gift for Avon. Many of their kids ranges originated from bespoke styleguides created by us.
Above: Christmas 2013 styleguide Overleaf: Ella Ballerina kids toiletry range
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HEEL SOFTENING CREAM Rich Moisturising Heel Cream with Vitamin E
100 ml â„Ž
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inspiring ideas | beautiful design | functional delivery 64-66 Akeman Street Tring Hertfordshire HP23 6AF t: +44 (0)1442 769260 Visit: www.minnowcreative.com
Š Minnow Creative 2014