We tell stories through design.
We are The Design Laboratory.
We are a cross-disciplinary design studio based in London.
We partner with visionary leaders to create brands, products, services and experiences that engage people and deliver results. We also work with founders and investors in innovative startups to help them realise their potential and turn their vision into reality.
We tell stories through design.
Creating a narrative that feeds our creative direction is at the core of our agile, design-driven methodology. Curiosity, collaboration and a user-centred approach are at the heart of what we do. Our strength relies on our cross-disciplinary approach to client briefs.

headquarters
Focus
Recommended Providers
Portfolio
Dom Perignon, Samsonite, Method, Sunglasses Hut, Universal McCann, VF Corporation, LVMH, Luxoticca, Ipsos Mori and Cointreau.

Eka - Branding & Website
Eka are a venture capitalist firm based in London which invest in founders creating positive system change worldwide.
Their mission is to empower visionary people with exceptional minds and extraordinary ideas to be first movers, and enable them to create long-lasting impact for a better tomorrow.
Eka commissioned The Design Laboratory to work on their brand strategy, brand identity, communications and website.

XO EDGE - Branding & Website
XO EDGE is a renewable energy company with a fresh approach and a passion for design and innovations. Its key mission is to provide cutting edge products that generate sustainable energy to power the world efficiently.
The Design Laboratory was commissioned to work on XO EDGE’s brand strategy and to design their brand identity, website and packaging.

The Alchemy of the Senses - Editorial
The legendary winemaker Jean-Charles Boisset commissioned The Design Laboratory to bring to life one of his great dreams: a book that illuminates his esoteric views of the world and captures them on paper.
The Design Laboratory not only designed, but managed all collaborators and illustrators needed to create this one-of-a-kind book. The Design Laboratory worked closely with Teresa Rodriguez for the editorial and storytelling, as well as Chronicle Books for the production.

Cointreau - Limited Edition Campaign
Cointreau is adding a touch of elegance and refinement to holidays.
Through a collaboration with The Design Laboratory at Central Saint Martins College, the iconic brand releases two specially designed bottles, just in time for the gift-giving season. Inspired by an excursion in the luxuriant Jardin des Hesperides, this collection is a magnificent celebration of orange in all its forms.

7 Bridges - Branding & Website
Brand Strategy, Brand Identity & Website
Established in 2016, 7bridges help companies to automate and fully optimise the logistics process to achieve a lean, cutting edge operation and reduce overall logistics expenditure, through a single, unified AI-powered platform, allowing distribution from multiple stock locations worldwide.
Their vision is to transform and democratise logistics, by enabling businesses of any scale to connect with their customers around the world in the most cost-effective, sustainable and delightful way possible.
7bridges appointed The Design Laboratory as their design and innovation partner and set a mission for us: to define their brand strategy linked to their offering, to fully re-brand their company, and to design and develop an engaging, inspirational website that will communicate and resonate with their key audiences.
Our key challenge for this project was to understand the full potential of the technology behind the 7bridges platform and how it would impact the industry before starting the creative process. As a new, proven, yet ground-breaking tech, it was essential for us to be able to distil a very complex offering into a simple brand strategy and narrative.
Visit their website: the7bridges.com

Samsonite - Limited Edition Suitcase
Ever since its earliest days, Samsonite has been the most innovative luggage manufacturer in the world. It has lead the industry in using new materials and creating new designs through collaborations during the years.
The Design Laboratory collaborated with Samsonite and created an exclusive travel piece called Samsonite x dl* at Central Saint Martins. The stylish luggage pays homage to the world of art, fashion and design. It fuses Samsonite’s industry-leading expertise in luggage-making, with the exceptional creativity and know-how of one of the world’s most iconic art and design schools.

Dom Pérignon - Andy Warhol Edition
Founded in 1668, Dom Pérignon is one of the most prestigious champagne brands in the world. The boldness and timeless style of Dom Pérignon vintages are recognised around the globe as symbols of French winemaking savoir-faire.
The Design Laboratory was commissioned to reinterpret its timeless bottle in a limited edition that paid tribute to Andy Warhol.
Inspired by the artist’s unconventional representation of icons, and the playful use of the codes and colours in his work, the unique collection resulted of three exclusive bottles which were launched globally, paying homage to Warhol’s iconic colour games.

Solar Polar - Branding & Website
Brand Identity & Website
Solar Polar is bringing to market a refrigeration and air-conditioning device that requires no electricity, has no moving parts, is silent and uses natural refrigerants.
Their mission is to enable developing countries with a new off-grid cooling solution and rid the world of unsustainable air-conditioning systems.
Solar Polar wanted to find a design partner that shared their values and understood their product, which is why they appointed The Design Laboratory as such and were commissioned to design their brand identity, infographics and website.
Visit their website: solar-polar.co.uk

Apheris - Branding & Iconography
Apheris offers a trusted, AI driven solution to data distribution and sharing. They enable enterprises to collaborate and analyse data securely, without compromising privacy.
By combining pioneering technology with experience, knowledge and insight, Apheris bridges the gap between human knowledge and machine learning, creating a hub of connection and collaboration for any data driven business.
Apheris appointed The Design Laboratory as their design partner, to fully re-brand their company and to design multiple brand assets to use in their day to day communications like graphics, iconography and templates.

House of Hello - Branding
House of Hello has a unique take on redefining classic hand luggage – combining traditional luxury cues and contemporary fashion trends – all handmade with high-quality material.
House of Hello’s newest brand “I!!!” and sub-brand and “I am Not” needed a universally recognisable visual identity that intelligibly connected their audience with their product. The client commissioned The Design Laboratory to create and design a unique international identity that would support their ethos.

The Fat Duck - Branding
Heston Blumenthal is a British celebrity chef and proprietor of many outstanding restaurants, including The Fat Duck, one of five restaurants in Great Britain to have three Michelin stars.
To celebrate 10 years of The Fat Duck restaurant - and its many success stories - Blumenthal commissioned The Design Laboratory to design a coffee table book. The Design Laboratory not only designed, but managed all collaborators and production that were needed to create this one-of-a-kind book. Following a wide release, the design won several awards and great reviews.

Animal Spirits
Product Innovation, Brand Identity, Brand Strategy, Storytelling, Packaging & Website
Doctor Lukas Radosa, (a micro-biologist and scientist with a passion for uniquely crafted potions) and his friend Eva Liparova, (a talented theatre producer) wanted to find creative partners for their new venture: Animal Spirits.
Founded in Bermondsey London, Animal Spirits is a premium range of craft spirits inspired by nature, created through knowledge and celebrating the many characters of the animal kingdom.
The Design Laboratory accepted the challenge to make Lukas and Eva's vision a reality. The project brought Animal Spirits to life by disrupting an already saturated market through design innovation and storytelling.
Animal Spirits aim to be an innovative and inspiring new contender in the drink industry, conveying a clear story, and stand out from the crowd.
Animal Spirits first creation is the Gin01: The Rabbit and will resonate with savvy consumers, curious spirit seekers and experience lovers.
Animal Spirits tells a story of Botanical, Science and Spirits. The tale of an alchemist who blends knowledge and science through the magic of the distillation process to release the characters of the Animal Spirits.
The Design Laboratory partnered with Animal Spirits to tell this compelling story by developing the brand strategy, the creative direction, tone of voice, brand identity, packaging and visual language as well as the brand website.
Animal Spirits and The Rabbit invite you to explore your senses at animal-spirits.com

Snug & Play - Playground Design
Snug is an award-winning play equipment that transforms school grounds and public spaces into creative, sociable play environments. Instead of fixed equipment, SNUG consists of modular shapes that children can join together to create their own exciting play landscapes. Made of soft and tactile materials that are highly durable and waterproof, Snug requires no installation and comes with its own storage system.
The Snug playground kit is transforming primary and early years playgrounds into creative, social spaces for play and learning. Snug is also used to enliven public spaces such as Gillett Square in Hackney, London and the new Kings Cross development which has a new 'soft play' area with lots of Snug elements for young children to play on and create with.
The Design Laboratory led every stage of the project, including research, concept design and development, prototyping and testing of the Snug Playground Kit.

Tileyard London - Brand Activation
Tileyard London is a thriving creative hub in the exciting King’s Cross area, with over 70 state-of-the-art music studios and more than 75 creative office spaces. It is one of the newest and most important creative hubs in Europe.
Following their fresh rebranding, Tileyard required an amplification of its brand and a full way-finding and activation strategy that took into consideration the diversity of services.
Its main objective was to activate, communicate and amplify Tileyard’s values and services both internally and externally.

Two Tribes - Branding & Strategy
Two Tribes is an independent craft brewery based in King’s Cross, London.
Inspired by his background in the music industry, Justin Deighton, its founder, brought to life Two Tribes with the aim of celebrating music, art and good times through beer.
Two Tribes’ ambition is to build a brand culture and community that is internationally recognised. They also wanted to develop their brand system and architecture, and solidify its brand language in order to scale the business while retaining the creative flair that makes them unique.

JCB Tarot - Bottle Collection Design & Online Experience
JCB is a luxurious leading wine brand based in California and founded by Jean-Charles Boisset, a French vintner which operates 28 wineries in US, France and Canada.
These prestigious award-winning wines are a collection of some of the finest in California and have been ranked 90 points and above by wine advocate Robert Parker.
Originally part of the Secret Indulgence collection Jean-Charles Boisset commissioned The Design Laboratory to bring the Tarot wine collection to life.
The Design Laboratory carefully crafted each of the 12 labels using open source Tarot artworks and paired them with a discretely simple graphics to let the cards tell the story.

The Companion - Branding & Website
The Narrative is a digital production company and entertainment studio based in London. They are experts in community, content and commercialisation on new and emerging channels.
The Narrative commissioned The Design Laboratory - their long-time design partners - to bring their latest vision to life: to elevate the conversation around film and TV, to create a platform that brings the Science-Fiction community together and to give them the quality journalism they deserve.
The outcome was the highest quality product for loyal Science-Fiction fans in the form of a Subscription Publisher: The Companion.
The Companion is an online platform that offers new perspectives, in-depth articles, podcasts and artwork from Science-Fiction authors, journalists, cast and crew on films and shows within this genre.

AEQUALITAS - Branding & Website
New Brand Identity & Website
Aequalitas Capital Partners is an impact investment and ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance) advisory firm with international development at its core. It is committed to creating sustainable growth, with accountable capital and actions for a more impactful, inclusive economy.
The Design Laboratory was commissioned to design their brand identity and website.
The foundation of this concept focuses on the unique and curious word ‘Aequalitas’, which uses the letter pairing ‘ae’. This grapheme is a traditional culmination of two individual letters, coming together to form a symmetrical shape, united as one. In this direction, the grapheme tells the story of Aequalitas’ mission to offer a journey of transformation, equality, trust, and respect.
Aequalitas’ brand takes its colour inspiration from Africa’s rare stone Tanzanite. This beautiful crystal is pleochroic: it appears to be different colours when viewed from different perspectives, ranging from dark blue, purple and lilac.
The gradient of colour through the ‘journey line’ in the logo shows transition, progress, growth and energy, while using Tanzanite’s unique and different colours.

The Art Collection
Creative Direction, Strategy and Packaging Design
Eco-cleaning brand method invited The Design Laboratory to collaborate in the creation of their new limited edition: The Art Collection.
The Design Laboratory created and defined the creative direction of the project and handpicked three artists that all share similar values with method, all of which are passionate about using their creativity to create a better world.
Through this collaboration, method transformed their limited edition plastic bottles into curated works of art, too beautiful to bin. The partnership strives to give artists a platform to share their message, as well as bring joy through art into every home.
The Art Collection consist of three product ranges, each featuring bespoke works of art created in partnership with three inspirational artists.
The Design Laboratory worked closely with the artists to translate their works of arts onto unique packaging designs for method bottles in such a way that reflects each artist vision and message, using printing techniques and sensorial finished that have resulted in a curated collection they hope will

VF corp - Axtell House
Design Innovation: future of retail
VF Corporation has commissioned The Design Laboratory to design an experiential brand showcase of elevated design and rich storytelling, located in the heart of London.
An expression of VF's iconic brands and a stamp of its creative and business commitment to London and the UK, Axtell House is designed to bring VF brands to life and create an immersive cross-platform experience that marks a new era in design and digital evolution.
Axtell Soho is an inspiring feat of high-spec, elevated design and craftsmanship combined with innovative technology and brand experience.
It spans more than 16,000 square feet across six floors and was designed with sustainability in mind. By improving and implementing intelligent future-proofing, the new space is both adaptable and resilient.
Digital future
The digitally connected, intelligent building features custom video walls and cinema surround-sound to immerse customers in the unique vision of each brand. Avatar-based virtual mannequins showcase key seasonal looks in 3D, which are designed to manufacturable specifications - transforming VF's supply chain. Users can even use the touch screen displays to change the lighting and visualise the products in different scenarios, inspiring them to place wholesale orders from the interactive digital selling display stations.
“DL proved to be a vital partner in the success of launching VF Axtell Soho, by merging disruptive design thinking with category business insights and appreciation for our sense of urgency.”
Jan Van Mossevelde
Vice President Strategy VF EMEA
In the press:
"The building was redesigned with sustainability in mind by the Design Laboratory. Meanwhile, VF has also invested heavily in technology, including digitally connected custom video walls and a 3D virtual mannequin to showcase its range of products, including prototypes which have not yet been manufactured."
Essential Retail - June 6th 2019

VF Corporation - Design Summit 19
VF is one of the world’s largest apparel, footwear and accessories companies. It has a diverse portfolio of iconic lifestyle brands including Vans, The North Face, Timberland, Napapijri, Eastpak and many more.
Traditionally the design leaders from across the VF portfolio meet twice a year on a summit to discuss how to redefine the design function within the group.
For 2019, VF approached The Design Laboratory to curate, manage, coordinate and deliver their Design Summit 2019.
The summit focused on sustainability, vision and process, relating to innovation and product.
For the Design Summit 2019 we curated speakers, organised visits and ran insights and ideation workshops. We took the creative leaders through an inspirational journey of discovery, as we believe that curiosity feeds creativity and innovation.
The outcome of this week-long exercise is a defined change of strategy for the entire group to become planet positive by 2030.

SDS - Branding & Website
SDS Research Collective is on a mission to develop a cure for Shwachman Diamond Syndrome, a rare genetic disease which affects around 2,000 people globally.
It was founded by Julia Hawkins, mother of Poppy who suffers from SDS, and they support SDS researchers working on cutting-edge and promising preclinical programmes. They also plan to raise funds in order to help develop a cure for SDS and build a close community around the cause.
Julia commissioned The Design Laboratory to develop the SDS Research Collective’s brand identity and website.

Ten Twelve - Branding
TEN 12 Management is a boutique artist management company based in London. With an undeniable passion for music, they are bringing a new approach to artist management, with a complete focus on protecting and nurturing their artists at all costs.
They believe that their hands off approach to the creative process, whilst still having a passion driven opinion, creates a level of trust between artist and manager, like none other.
TEN 12 Management commissioned The Design Laboratory to create and design their brand identity and website.

Better by Sport - App
Better by Sport is born from the powerful synergy and vision of its two founders and partners. A start-up brand that has established a living data-rich digital platform for athletes, sport enthusiasts and coaches as well as patients and life coaches. It encourages worldwide scientific research, education, sport and health communities to work together.
Better by Sport has launched MySportsLab on iOS, a mobile integrated sport and wellness app enhancing sports training and designed for those who want to improve and live better.
The Design Laboratory designed the app, translating the highly technical nature of sport science into usable data for professional athletes. The app has a unique UI with beautiful custom graphics and icons. Built for versatile athletes, the app supports multiple sports focusing on intensity, user journey and progression.
Reviews
the project
Branding Guideline & Web Dev for Agritech Tax Credit Company
“The actual brand guidelines we’ve received from them have been impressive.”
the reviewer
the review
A Clutch analyst personally interviewed this client over the phone. Below is an edited transcript.
Introduce your business and what you do there.
I’m the head of strategic partnerships and co-founder of GranterUK. Our company specializes in tax credit services for the UK agricultural and agritech markets, along with other related spaces.
What challenge were you trying to address with The Design Laboratory?
We wanted to differentiate ourselves visually from a branding perspective in the market. Our company needed Design Laboratory’s expertise and advice to do this.
What was the scope of their involvement?
Essentially, Design Laboratory gave us a branding guideline and built a website based on it. We already had a website, but we wanted to rebrand so they developed another one from scratch. This website essentially served as a funnel into our platform.
On top of that, the team created other materials we could use in our sales processes and products. They also provided us with a concise way of boiling down our visual representation into text. That way, we could have a more specific brand vision. Overall, they worked on giving us a brand identity to differentiate ourselves from a visual standpoint.
We’ve completed this project, but we’ll go back to them to do more work. We just have other priorities to complete at present.
What is the team composition?
We’ve worked with a team of six people overall, including junior designers and senior members of the company, such as their director of operations.
How did you come to work with The Design Laboratory?
I looked at various portfolios and had a wide view of different companies. We wanted to work with designers in the UK because our concept was abstract and difficult to translate for overseas companies. We found Design Laboratory and decided that they had the best portfolio. On top of that, I liked the companies they’d worked with and the brands they created for those firms. We believed they could do the same for us, so we hired them.
How much have you invested with them?
We’ve invested about £30,000 (approximately $41,500 USD).
What is the status of this engagement?
We started this project in April 2021, and the engagement is technically ongoing.
What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?
For success metrics, we haven’t used any quantitative analysis. Rather, we measure success in terms of how we like their outputs and whether they’ve presented our brand in a visually interesting and captivating way. Overall, the end result we’ve achieved is good.
How did The Design Laboratory perform from a project management standpoint?
Their project management has been good overall.
What did you find most impressive about them?
The actual brand guidelines we’ve received from them have been impressive.
Are there any areas they could improve?
It will be an improvement if there’s more transparency in terms of the engagement’s process itself. Design Laboratory’s priorities have shifted away from us a little bit when other clients are involved. Other than that, the whole process has been good.
the project
Branding & Web Design for Audio & Sound Design Company
"They have different impressive skills within their workforce, and the way they work together is seamless."
the reviewer
the review
A Clutch analyst personally interviewed this client over the phone. Below is an edited transcript.
Introduce your business and what you do there.
I’m the director and owner of 2020 Recordings, an audio company. We have specialists and experts in every field of audio and do voiceover, music, and sound design. We do everything from audiobooks, gaming, adverts, and podcasts to sonic branding and making tracks within the music industry. We’re a warm, friendly organization, but we’re experts in what we do.
What challenge were you trying to address with The Design Laboratory?
We had a couple of different companies that weren’t joined together. There was one for audio, one for music, and so on. We felt the lines were being blurred between all the industries. We wanted to bring everything together, stamp the brand through, and have a website that incorporated all but had separate areas within that.
Overall, we wanted to show how we were different from other audio production houses and made us unique. We had great clients in each of those separate areas, and we’d been growing 50% and operating word of mouth until COVID-19. We had time to consolidate during the pandemic, so we thought it was an excellent opportunity to do all of this.
What was the scope of their involvement?
The Design Laboratory made a brilliant logo for us. We were looking at name changes but decided to stick with the name. They’re currently designing and developing our website, as well as handling the whole branding aspect. We plan to launch in September.
We first started with a stage where we asked ourselves who we are. We wanted to show what we do, what we offer, and target those specific industries. We had a unique team of people working together from different industries in audio, so it wasn’t just about having the studios and equipment, but also about the people and how we handle our clients. We had to capture our culture and communicate that in the logo and messaging.
About a week ago, they gave us an initial presentation, and I wasn’t expecting to see much, but they delivered a complete overview of the website. Now, we’re going through it, taking things out, and filling in things. The layout is well-balanced and cleverly designed, so we’re keeping it simple and slick.
What is the team composition?
We work with Boris (CEO & Co-Founder), the director of operations, and 5–6 other people who have been main contacts. For various stages, we’ve had different teams and specialists, and they’ve all been phenomenal.
How did you come to work with The Design Laboratory?
We’re based in the same complex — it’s a huge community of about 80 studios. I would bump into Boris in the mornings, and we’d chat, so we got to know each other. I looked at a couple of other people on-site, but The Design Laboratory ticked all the boxes. Also, I liked Boris as a person and had a great relationship with him. I decided to just run with it because it felt good. He had the vibe and knew what I was about.
How much have you invested with them?
We’ve spent £30,000 (approximately $42,000 USD).
What is the status of this engagement?
We started working together in December 2020, and the relationship is ongoing.
What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?
The rebrand was a big job and responsibility, and they held our hand the whole way. Working with The Design Laboratory has been an amazing experience. We’ve become great friends, and they’re really in tune and passionate about who we are. Both of our companies work well together, so it’s been a super enjoyable project.
For the logo, they gave us three choices of where we could go with the whole idea, and they were all really good. It was a hard choice, but we definitely chose the right one. We also have an excellent photographer on board, and he loved the branding. I’m going to link him in with The Design Laboratory.
Overall, the experience has been invaluable and much deeper than I thought it’d be because it really got us thinking about who we are. They’ve been enlightening and positive through every step. Additionally, I’m 100% sure that what we’re spending on it is just a drop in the ocean to what we’re going to achieve.
How did The Design Laboratory perform from a project management standpoint?
Project management has been brilliant. We’ve been happy to work around them; it’s pretty effortless. We haven’t had rigid deadlines; we initially aimed to have it done by July, but we slowed it down. The Design Laboratory has been flexible and patient with us when we’ve gotten busy.
What did you find most impressive about them?
They’re passionate and committed. They genuinely care and want to do their best for us. Working with them has been a creative, innovative process. We can say exactly what we want, so it’s really easy to work with them.
Also, they have different impressive skills within their workforce, and the way they work together is seamless.
Do you have any advice for potential customers?
They know what they’re doing, so you can trust them 100%. Let them run with stuff and allow them to know everything about you and how people view you. Being honest will help the whole process. Moreover, enjoy the process. It can be super intense, but it’s also really fun.
the project
Branding Guideline & Web Dev for Sustainability Startup
“They put an enormous amount of thought into the brand and all of its elements.”
the reviewer
the review
A Clutch analyst personally interviewed this client over the phone. Below is an edited transcript.
Introduce your business and what you do there.
I am the co-founder and CEO of a tech startup in the sustainability space.
What challenge were you trying to address with The Design Laboratory?
Our business was new, and we needed to go through a full branding, identity, and tone exercise. We wanted to ensure that the brand was scalable. It must also properly represent our goals, the reason we started the business, and our core value proposition to potential customers.
What was the scope of their involvement?
We approached The Design Laboratory for a brand and identity process. They facilitated a brand discovery workshop where we tried to understand our goals. The workshop also dug into our business motivations and the pain points that we wanted to address through our services and products. Based on this workshop, they gave us feedback and suggestions around brand tonality, positioning, and underlying principles. This session was followed by name brainstorming sessions and brand strategy workshops. In the naming sessions, we also discussed our brand strategy. They submitted reports and suggestions on what we should do next and what our options were.
Once we decided on a name, brand, and strategy, they started working on concepts. The Design Laboratory took all of our inputs and developed three visual and brand design concepts to a large degree of detail. We then reviewed these concepts and gave feedback. After submitting the concepts back to us, we chose the one we preferred. From there, they built our brand identity and tone. Their resources then presented the first finalized branding concept to us.
After the presentation, we gave them our feedback and discussed it with them. Then, they developed the final branding guidelines and assets. These included core colors and guidelines for designers. In other words, they produced a branding bible that guided our team around the logos, colors, photograph choices, fonts, and alignments we should use. This was also their final deliverable for this scope of work. After giving us this branding guideline, they designed our website, which they created on WebFlow.
The first iteration of the work has been delivered, including the website. We’re currently in talks about the next steps and set of tasks.
What is the team composition?
We work with around 7–8 people, and we mainly interact with their CEO and co-founder as well as with the head of operations. Our collaborations are more on the administrative and operational side. We’ve also interfaced with five designers from their team, including senior and junior teammates.
How did you come to work with The Design Laboratory?
After kicking off the business, we needed an agency to develop our brand. We started looking around and did some research. Our team even asked our investors for recommendations. Off the back of that, we had a long list of 20 design and branding agencies in Europe and London. We went through the agencies’ portfolios online and shortlisted around five of them.
Our resources reached out to them individually and set up meetings to give them an overview of our company and needs. The agencies came back with proposals around how they worked and their fee structures. The Design Laboratory was one of them, and we eventually chose their team because their pricing wasn’t out of any insane ballpark.
On top of having the most reasonable price, they also had the most sensible proposal, which showed us that they truly listened and didn’t simply paraphrase our words back to us. Their team actually processed the information and thought about how they could provide value to us. There was a clear indication of quality, so we hired them.
How much have you invested with them?
We’ve spent around £30,000–£40,000 (approximately $41,000–$55,000 USD).
What is the status of this engagement?
We started in January 2021, and the partnership is ongoing.
What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?
The Design Laboratory has a great level of engagement, and their team listens to us carefully to come up with meaningful solutions. They've met our expectations in terms of brand direction and naming, capturing what we want from a tone and branding representation perspective. In all of these processes, the team’s engagement has been incredible.
Overall, they’re truly talented. They apply their own thinking to what they deliver and listen well to our feedback, applying what we say decisively and speedily. In terms of time management, they’ve been great. There haven’t been any major overruns in timelines other than what’s unavoidable, which are on our side.
Finally, we also measure success by looking at the deliverables and how useful they are for our team members, including UX designers and frontend engineers. Using the brand guidelines they’ve created, our products are designed to look good and consistent with our branding. Quality isn’t lost in translation.
How did The Design Laboratory perform from a project management standpoint?
Project management has been a big part of our engagement. Their head of operations has worked well and plugged in seamlessly within our team. Even though she isn’t a designer, she participates in all discussions and provides her own inputs. She makes sure that everything runs smoothly, things are on time, and our expectations are managed. On top of that, the schedule of work is clear. If anything changes, it’s clearly communicated with me and our co-founder. In other words, their project management isn’t only effective; it’s also seamlessly part of the process. It doesn’t feel awkwardly bolted on the side.
In terms of tools, they’ve used Miro to run the workshops, collect data, and provide outputs. The deliverables have been given in PDF format, which is great because we want to read and understand the content. We haven’t met in person, and the workshops are facilitated remotely and online. Overall, they’ve provided the most seamless workshops I’ve seen.
What did you find most impressive about them?
The level of engagement and the fact that they truly listen to us differentiate them from other providers. The tangible design and brand deliverables reflect this in terms of content, tone, copywriting, visuals, and designs. Moreover, their attention to detail is incredible. They put an enormous amount of thought into the brand and all of its elements, which ultimately reflects the principles we’ve discussed over many workshops.
In a nutshell, what we love about working with them is their attention to detail and ability to translate that into a coherent, high-quality branding that’s neither trivial nor gimmicky.
Are there any areas they could improve?
We haven’t had the luxury of having personal interactions. Doing things in person can have interesting impacts on our engagement, though such impacts can be positive or negative. This is no fault of theirs, but it’s clearly the missing piece of the engagement.
Do you have any advice for potential customers?
Branding and identity design isn’t something you can throw over the wall; you can’t simply put a brief together and email it, expecting to get great results in return. Companies and teams like The Design Laboratory do their best work when you engage them properly. That's because their job isn’t to come up with your brand; it’s to shape your brand based on what you want your business to do and the reasons you’re doing it. In other words, you’ll get a much higher-quality output when you engage with The Design Laboratory properly.
the project
Collection Design & Branding for Men’s Clothing Line
“I was truly happy with them, their work, and the quality of the outputs they produced.”
the reviewer
the review
A Clutch analyst personally interviewed this client over the phone. Below is an edited transcript.
Introduce your business and what you do there.
I’m the founder and managing director of Warrior Addict, a men’s yoga brand.
What challenge were you trying to address with The Design Laboratory?
We were only beginning our business and hadn’t even launched, so I needed to find someone to work with to design our first clothing collection.
What was the scope of their involvement?
The Design Laboratory helped me with the clothing collection’s design and reworked my branding. Initially, I did all of our branding by myself, so they took what I’d done and came up with a concept for our logo and brand marks.
Meanwhile, our first collection consisted of men’s yoga wear. I sent my ideas to them and met with them to discuss the tasks. Then, they came up with a price. At every step of the design process, I’d meet them to either approve their outputs or make some adjustments. Among the things they designed were shorts, sweatpants, t-shirts, long-sleeve shirts, vest tops, and yoga mat bags.
What is the team composition?
I worked with four people from their team. They were all designers and associated with the college of fashion I attended. We also worked with more senior teammates who had plenty of experience in branding and design.
How did you come to work with The Design Laboratory?
The Design Laboratory had an association with a college of fashion in London, and I’d done a few courses with them. I contacted the college and they recommended The Design Laboratory.
Moreover, I liked Yann and Boris (Co-Founders and CEOs), who were enthusiastic and supportive of what I was doing. On top of that, they were knowledgeable, so I decided to work with them straight away.
How much have you invested with them?
We invested around £14,000 (approximately $19,000 USD).
What is the status of this engagement?
The project lasted from January–August 2016, or approximately eight months.
What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?
The project centered around branding and design, so success metrics were difficult to measure. However, I was truly happy with them, their work, and the quality of the outputs they produced. In fact, I continued to use the logo they designed for me, including the color scheme they chose. I’d never change it. Overall, they definitely did their due diligence, and I was happy with the results.
How did The Design Laboratory perform from a project management standpoint?
Their project management was excellent. There were fewer project management tools years ago, so we mainly communicated via email and face-to-face meetings.
What did you find most impressive about them?
Yann and Boris were brilliant; they were incredibly creative, clever, and passionate about what they did. I could tell that they loved working with brands and that they loved their job, making them a real pleasure to work with all the time. I wouldn’t have had that level of service at any other design studio. I was so pleased with the work that I remained in contact with them.
Are there any areas they could improve?
We were a tiny brand, and we had to stop working with them because we didn’t have the budget. They were quite expensive, and a lot of their customers were massive brands. That being said, their services warranted their price, so I couldn’t really fault them for it.
Do you have any advice for potential customers?
If you want to launch a business and want a company to help you with your branding, use The Design Laboratory. They’re good, and I highly recommend them.
the project
Branding Services for Computer & Network Security Company
"The team always listened carefully to our feedback and were able to propose new ideas which we really liked."
the reviewer
the review
The client submitted this review online.
Please describe your company and your position there.
Apheris is a deep tech company that fundamentally changes how organizations collaborate securely and extract value from data. Our platform enables secure data analyses across distributed data of multiple parties while keeping proprietary information private.
With Apheris, organizations can build new data solutions and unlock entirely new insights from distributed data of multiple parties without compromising on security and ownership.
For what projects/services did your company hire The Design Laboratory, and what were your goals?
Our goal was to refresh our brand appearance so that it looked professional, well thought-through and was aligned with our company identity.
How did you select The Design Laboratory?
Design Laboratory was recommended to us and after our first discussion with the team, we felt that our project was in the right hands.
Describe the scope of their work in detail, including any steps and the final deliverables.
At the beginning, we did a virtual workshop with the goal to define our needs. They invested their time well in asking questions and getting a better understanding of our company, our mission, and our identity. After that, they came up with a few options on branding including logo, font type, colors and assets. We iterated on the brand package until we felt that the branding fit our company.
How many people from The Design Laboratory team worked with you, and what were their positions?
Our main contact throughout the project was Boris (Co-Founder & Creative Director), and he made sure to always include the people of his creative team to make our meetings efficient and fun nonetheless.
Can you share any outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?
With the resulting brand guideline and adjacent assets like logo, icons, illustrations, we were able to completely rebrand our marketing material including our website, social media profiles and other public appearances.
Our branding is now consistent with our internal and external communication material.
Describe their project management style, including communication tools and timeliness.
We had recurring online meetings with the Design Laboratory team in which we gave our feedback on the material of the next iteration. The meetings were very efficient and fun nonetheless.
Missing feedback was collected from us whenever needed and overall the communication was smooth and timely.
What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?
Their storytelling abilities showed us that they understood our mission and vision extremely well, and we were very happy with the results. The team always listened carefully to our feedback and were able to propose new ideas which we really liked.
They did a great job in explaining how they derived at what branding decision for us to choose from. Our branding fits our company.
Are there any areas for improvement or something they could have done differently?
We requested branded Office templates for PowerPoint and Word which was something new for them, too. Hence, it needed a few more iterations than we were used to until we found the final templates with which we were satisfied.
the project
Design, Branding, & Content for Green Solar Company
"We couldn't quantify it, but we're absolutely blown away by just how brilliant they are."
the reviewer
the review
A Clutch analyst personally interviewed this client over the phone. Below is an edited transcript.
Introduce your business and what you do there.
I’m the chief executive and co-founder of Solar Polar Limited, a green solar company. We are bringing to market a solar thermally-driven cooling system. It can be used on the farms of India or Africa. It can also be used for air conditioning houses without any electricity.
What challenge were you trying to address with The Design Laboratory?
We’re a small company run primarily by engineers. We didn’t have the expertise in branding, corporate messaging, and imaging. Our company is very good at making things work and coming up with new ideas but we didn’t have the ability to communicate that to the outside world and that’s why we hired The Design Laboratory.
What was the scope of their involvement?
The first project The Design Laboratory did for us was to produce an infographic that explained how our system worked. What we needed was a very simplistic view of an incredibly complicated system which they did beautifully. You can either send it to somebody and they can read it through or you can flash it up on the screen and talk people through it.
The second project involved looking at our branding and logos. They rebranded it and made a far more powerful message. When they presented us with the different concepts they’d come up with, the first one was very clever and was sort of building around an infinity loop. Then they came up with a smile logo, it was sort of like a globe but then the bottom half was a smile.
Subsequently, they integrated that into a website with some animations. The team also helped us with the wording. Later, it was also rolled out in our business cards and paper. They even changed the headers for things like our LinkedIn accounts. The branding they developed goes throughout all of our communication materials.
That project is finished already but if we need any changes, they still do it. We’ve put in some joint bid for various projects where they’re working with solar renewables.
What is the team composition?
I primarily talk with Yann (Co-Founder & CEO). The lovely thing about them is you don’t get one of them, you get the whole team. There are about six or more people who work with us.
How did you come to work with The Design Laboratory?
I was introduced to Yann through a colleague who had worked at a company that had done a project with him where they got three artists to brand their bottles. She said The Design Laboratory was very nice to work with. I met Yann and we started chatting and realized we could probably work together.
What is the status of this engagement?
We started working together in December 2019 and the work is ongoing.
What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?
The Design Laboratory made a brilliant infographic that demonstrated an extremely complex process and broke it down to a simple one. Their work has been very well received. As a company, we’re not quite ready to do the full launch yet but the amount of interaction we’ve had with the public, it’s all been very positive.
The number of positive responses we’ve had has gone up. We’re very happy with their work. We couldn’t quantify it, but we’re absolutely blown away by just how brilliant they are.
How did The Design Laboratory perform from a project management standpoint?
When you go to The Design Laboratory’s office to talk about what they’ve done, changes, or what you like, the whole team joins. We communicate primarily by email and meetings in their offices. Before COVID-19, we were doing the initial part of the work in-person. I haven’t been to their office since the lockdown, but I probably talked to Yann on the phone once every two weeks.
They’re incredibly patient. The team keeps us on track because sometimes they’re waiting on feedback from us.
What did you find most impressive about them?
The Design Laboratory team is so clever. They have the ability to translate your bumbling and stumbling abilities to communicate what you do into something very sharp, concise, and visually appealing. They’re an amazing creative force.
Are there any areas they could improve?
No, I can’t fault them in any way.
the project
Art & Branding for Digital Studio & Community Company
"I feel like I’m getting a world-class experience without the drastically high fees."
the reviewer
the review
A Clutch analyst personally interviewed this client over the phone. Below is an edited transcript.
Introduce your business and what you do there.
I’m the co-founder and CEO of a digital production studio. We make content including videos, articles, and podcasts about popular TV series and movies.
What challenge were you trying to address with The Design Laboratory?
We hired them for design and branding services.
What was the scope of their involvement?
They did all of the artwork and branding for our mobile application. It’s a subscription-based app, so we needed it to have a premium feel. The design fits the genres that we cover in our work, primarily science fiction.
What is the team composition?
I think we worked with every member of their team at some point. There were about three senior teammates and two junior members. There were typically about six people from their side in our meetings.
How much have you invested with them?
We invested around £15,000 (approximately $19,295 USD), but we had a part-fee, part-equity deal.
What is the status of this engagement?
We started working with them in November 2019, and our work is ongoing.
What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?
We’ve been getting positive feedback from users. They often complement the premium feel of the app.
How did The Design Laboratory perform from a project management standpoint?
We have a WhatsApp group, but we also communicative through emails and over the phone.
What did you find most impressive about them?
Their experience and design expertise is impressive. I feel like I’m getting a world-class experience without the drastically high fees.
Are there any areas they could improve?
No. Whenever we do have feedback or changes, they’re very receptive.
the project
Packaging Design & Branding for Spirits Company
"They can take you to their dream and show you the possibilities of how it can look."
the reviewer
the review
A Clutch analyst personally interviewed this client over the phone. Below is an edited transcript.
Introduce your business and what you do there.
I am the director and co-founder of a company called Animal Spirits. We are a spirit company that produces gin and later on, we also want to produce other spirits. We are based in London and we are just opening the market in the UK.
What challenge were you trying to address with The Design Laboratory?
I wanted professionals who already worked with companies that produce spirits. The plan was to work with the best to get the best results.
What was the scope of their involvement?
They did complete branding for us. At first, they produced a bottle that had to be scalable. The bottle is designed so that we can create more spirits by changing the colors or pictures on the bottle. They provided us with the logo, trademark, deck, and all the documents we need for the company presentation pitch as well.
They carried us through the whole idea, creating the best story out of it and taking care of the whole brand so that it could be presented in a nice way.
What is the team composition?
We directly worked and had meetings with three people. I think there were two other people that were involved in smaller parts as well.
How did you come to work with The Design Laboratory?
They were recommended to us by a friend. She knew them personally and had also worked with them and was very happy with the cooperation. We went for a drink, and discussed our idea and what we wanted. There was chemistry. They are a cool bunch of people that know what they are talking about. They have also worked with really big companies in the alcohol market.
I interviewed other companies before and they were roughly the same amount of money but didn’t offer as much as The Design Laboratory. I had also tried to do something with local designers, and it was worth nothing. I spent several hundred and I got nothing out of it. People need to be professional to work on that level.
What is the status of this engagement?
We started working together in the summer of 2017. The project was slow-moving because I had a full-time job. It wasn’t slow from their side. We are still working together, and they are still helping us.
What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?
I am very happy because they really started with the idea and shaped it around the picture. I always had a chance to choose the way we went, and they offered alternatives and we followed one of those — and then more alternatives. It’s been a long time and I am more than happy.
How did The Design Laboratory perform from a project management standpoint?
We have regular calls through Zoom. Prior to Coronavirus, we had in-person meetings. I can always email them and they answer me pretty fast. Communication is always open and friendly and it is very nice to work with them.
What did you find most impressive about them?
It was the contact with them, their personality, and how they can really make up the story and dream about it. They can take you to their dream and show you the possibilities of how it can look. That was something that really attracted me, and I always left our meetings feeling very positive and in a very good mood.
Are there any areas they could improve?
I don’t think so. It was a long project and they always kept track of it. I have nothing to improve and it was very good. We discussed everything in smaller details and always followed the idea, so I am happy.
the project
Design Strategy & Artist Sourcing for Cleaning Products Firm
"The expertise they brought to the project stands out."
the reviewer
the review
A Clutch analyst personally interviewed this client over the phone. Below is an edited transcript.
Introduce your business and what you do there.
I’m the European brand lead for a cleaning product firm with an environmental kind of angle.
What challenge were you trying to address with The Design Laboratory?
We have a limited edition program and the challenge we had was how to drive more passers for our limited edition. We wanted to use them as an opportunity to change consumer behavior.
What was the scope of their involvement?
The Design Laboratory helped us shape our strategy for our limited edition program for 2020. They came up with a strategy which was around changing people’s thoughts by making them into works of art. They helped us elevate our brand into the art world.
The team also found us a partnership. They found us three inspirational artists to align to our values of using their creativity as a force for good. From that, they helped us translate beautiful works of art, from these three artists, onto our bottles.
They really worked with the artists on shaping the creation of their art, the curation on having the artist pick which piece of art they’d want to do for this project, face graphing the art, and then translating that into a 2D design file for us to put onto our bottles.
What is the team composition?
We worked with Boris (Co-Founder & Creative Director) and Yann (Co-Founder & CEO). I worked really closely with Yann throughout the program. We still check in and have a very strong relationship even though we’re not working on a project at the moment.
Boris oversees the creative team. Our main creative point of contact was Benio (Creative Manager). He went above and beyond throughout. He was working directly with the different print teams and the printers and really understanding the processes. He was very reactive to any kind of feedback. He really helped us shape the project and the end results.
How did you come to work with The Design Laboratory?
My boss had worked with them before in an innovation capacity. When we were looking for people who would inspire us as a team, she set up a meeting with them to have an inspiration day. Having spoken to them and seeing their role and the thought leadership that they brought, I chose to brief them on this project.
How much have you invested with them?
The total cost was around £70,000 (approximately $89,000 USD).
What is the status of this engagement?
The project took place from January 2019–January 2020.
What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?
The end product was really strong. At the time, I didn’t have a creative director in-house. I really relied on The Design Laboratory to help me through that. We had three incredible collections with amazing designs.
Not only was the product incredibly strong in the end but the relationship that they helped us build and facilitate with the artists have been phenomenal. We have a really strong relationship with all three artists.
The Design Laboratory started and then stewarded it over to us which has been great. It wouldn’t have been as easy had they not been there to grease the wheels and make the way.
How did The Design Laboratory perform from a project management standpoint?
We’d communicate through email. If there were any glitches in the project, I’d then have a call with them. Yann is someone who wants to build very strong relationships with the clients he works with. He very much wants to understand the business and the challenges as well as just having more inspirational conversations.
What did you find most impressive about them?
The expertise they brought to the project and the relationships with the artists that they were able to facilitate stands out. That alone, I would not have been able to do. They were able to elevate our thinking and facilitate a really great outcome that I would definitely not have been able to do alone.
Are there any areas they could improve?
The one tension we had is our company in Europe is quite small. We still have a challenge with the budget. They wouldn’t be doing their job if they weren’t pushing for more with us though. It’s a healthy amount of tension to get the project done and pushing for the best end result.
the project
Web Development & Branding for Development Platform
"It was clear that they loved working on our project."
the reviewer
the review
The client submitted this review online.
Please describe your company and your position there.
Otentu is a new discovery and development platform for young art and design students. I am the founder and CEO
For what projects/services did your company hire The Design Laboratory, and what were your goals?
We needed to establish our brand voice both for students as well as millennial affluent customers who appreciate creativity. we are disrupting an existing industry and offering a brand new solution. Our goals were to develop a visual communication language and platform for our new innovation.
How did you select this vendor?
We conducted an search and a request for proposal from several firms and then conducted interviews and portfolio reviews.
Describe the scope of their work in detail, including any steps and the final deliverables.
The project included several steps
- alignment and expectations setting
- Data sharing
- conceptualization of new ideas
- development of final brand platform with focus on digital assets
- development of non digital brand assets including print items
- development of social platform templates
How many people from the vendor's team worked with you, and what were their positions?
5 people
Can you share any outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?
We have received complete and detailed brand platform that guides all the future development and marketing efforts. Design Lab were always delivering beyond expectations with extra examples and applications to help us visualize the end state and give us some extra items to work with. They were passionate about the project and were personally connected and it shows in the final deliverables.
Describe their project management style, including communication tools and timeliness.
Project management was organized and on time. they kept us to deadlines and made sure we receive all the revisions within hours sometimes to make sure we keep on track.
What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?
They are professional and cool designers. But their personal connection to the project and their belief in it was shining difference. It was clear that they loved working on our project.
Are there any areas for improvement or something they could have done differently?
No
Stakeholders are happy with The Design Laboratory’s outputs. The branding guideline is good, and the client also praises their project management. Overall, the team has been able to drive the engagement toward success.