umano Clothing
umano was a fashion startup on a mission to empower kids all over the world. From humble beginnings in Athens, GA, umano went on to be carried in Bloomingdale’s stores across the country and even won a deal on ABC’s Shark Tank.
As Brand Manager, I oversaw visual design and brand identity for marketing content, including social media, direct mail, email marketing, online ads, and graphic art for all products and product development. I was responsible for design of all web assets, photo editing, packaging, merchandising, and branded visuals. I worked directly with the Founder/CEO to establish creative direction, conceptualize seasonal product collections, design, test, and improve UI, and create sales assets for investor presentations and wholesale accounts. I also collaborated on developing, planning and executing overall digital marketing strategy across all owned channels.
For a B2C company, mailers are an important touchpoint between the brand and its customers. At umano, my team and I designed everything from art prints to mother’s day cards, and interns were often drafted to hand-write notes to be included in orders for our most loyal customers.
My challenge was to conceptualize and design mailers that customers would proudly display in their home or office, making them valuable brand advocates and increasing their likelihood to order again.
Package design is satisfying because the results are extremely tangible. Also, like direct mail, package design is a critical touchpoint between brand and consumer. umano’s e-commerce boxes refreshed about 3 times per quarter, and always included Kartwork (kid’s Artwork) and an informative blurb about the Artist. The inside flap of each box included a hand-written note from our CEO, which my team and I scanned in and vectorized to be screen printed. Each box also included an edition number, making them collectible. Repeat customers often provided feedback stating that they loved seeing their box and packaging when their orders arrived.
My team and I also had the opportunity to design the Fall16 packaging and a branded coupon insert for Causebox, a subscription service for cause-based products. The resulting collaborative box was widely shared on social media.
This branded collaboration was especially effective because the Causebox following was compatible with our target markets, and resulted in high sales.
Product development is one of my favorite areas of design because of the satisfaction I get from creating a tangible consumer good. At umano I oversaw all phases of product development. From working directly with the creative director to conceptualize seasonal product collections, to handing off finished designs to our in-house screen printing facility.
Over the years I streamlined the process considerably by designing custom templates and an organizational structure that efficiently involved every member of the art team in the product development process.
The umano design process included not only designing and printing the product itself, but also trend-forecasting, target market research, hangtag and care-label design and proofing, and vendor relations.
I love tiny details like care labels and back labels. These details may go unnoticed by most consumers, but they unconsciously inform how consumers perceive your brand. Consistency and simplicity are key.