Gel, Branding & Packaging

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I was the senior director for global branding and creative services for a health, wellness, and fitness firm.

What challenge were you trying to address with Gel, Branding & Packaging?

We had global product launches and most of the time, we’d put a guide together for the initial launch of specific countries or regions. We then hired Gel, Branding & Packaging to help us.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Gel, Branding & Packaging developed the branding guidelines for the product launches we were scaling across the globe. The guidelines were used by internal stakeholders to create product creative assets, both print and social to ensure that we had brand consistency.

Their work involved establishing guidelines for our color palette, font usage, affiliated assets, product imagery, and lifestyle imagery. They also helped us explore our visions before we integrated them into the guide.

What is the team composition?

We worked with Patricio (Agency Principal and Partner), and we collaborated with their art director and project manager. However, I wasn't sure how many people they had in the background.

How did you come to work with Gel, Branding & Packaging?

I met Patricio back in 2001 when I was at a former company. We chose to work with them again because they consistently delivered good work, and they were good at establishing fantastic relationships with their clients.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent $150,000–$200,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

I worked with them from July 2019–November 2021.

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement? 

Gel, Branding & Packaging’s work was solid, and it was thoughtful and strategic. On the design end, they strived to execute and deliver the best quality design and material. The team had a great understanding of the product marketing world, and we appreciated that they delivered according to our expectations and that they were able to adjust to many changes along the way. In addition, we were impressed with their resilience to work with groups that were already set in their ways.

How did Gel, Branding & Packaging perform from a project management standpoint?

They were flexible, and they were efficient. More importantly, they made sure that we were always informed about the project’s status. 

What did you find most impressive about them?

They were very meticulous and professional. On top of that, they were a consistent partner that was always ready to provide us with solutions.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Have strong creative and strategy discussions of how you’re going to go after your expectations.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the marketing director at The Gluten Free Bar, and we make gluten-free and plant-based meal bars, bites, and oatmeal.

What challenge were you trying to address with Gel, Branding & Packaging?

We needed help going through a brand refresh. 

What was the scope of their involvement?

Gel is improving all our creative assets, including our packaging, style guide, digital ads, and more.

We started with the segmentation of gluten-free and plant-based consumers. With that, Gel produced our creative strategy, and we refined that. Next, they worked on our products’ packaging. They then created templates for our digital and social media ads.

What is the team composition?

I work with Derek (Creative Director), Patricio (Owner & CEO), and Pauline (Account Executive).

How did you come to work with Gel, Branding & Packaging?

In my previous company, we hired Gel to do various projects such as consumer merchandising and promotions. 

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve invested $30,000–$35,000 so far. I can see us spending double of that once we’re done. 

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in August 2021, and it’s ongoing. 

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement? 

Our products are not yet on the market. However, I can say that Gel has helped us create a brand that’s bold, approachable, and brings forth the appetite appeal. Additionally, they’ve showcased our core values and personality in their work.

How did Gel, Branding & Packaging perform from a project management standpoint?

They are strong project managers, and they’re very adaptable.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’ve taken the time to know our team and understand the space we’re in, and they made us unique. 

In addition, what I like about working with Patricio is he operates on the human level. He’s a great listener, and he’s excellent at making people talk and achieve discoveries. He makes everyone feel comfortable throughout the emotive process. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

I can’t think of anything. They’re great just the way they are. 

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

If you can, prepare what your brand stands for, its personality, and who your target consumers or prime prospects are. They will do the rest for you.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the brand manager of marketing at a subsidiary of a large pharma company.

What challenge were you trying to address with Gelcomm?

We do private labeling and we’re in the process of creating a natural clean label. We’re going to be launching a line of skincare products in summer 2021. We brought in Gelcomm to ideate and build out the brand assets as it relates to our packaging and logo.

What was the scope of their involvement?

We started off with a concept phase. Gelcomm was briefed on the brand launch and the concept. Then, they had creative sessions to come up with a concept aesthetic creative mood board, which funneled into the packaging. We gave feedback and ideated on that board.

From there, they went into design work to deliver our premium packaging. Currently, they’re working on retailer baskets for us to send out to the different buyers we’re broaching on this launch.   

What is the team composition?

I worked with Pauline (Account Executive), Derek (Creative Director), and Patricio (Owner & CEO).

How did you come to work with Gelcomm?

We had two consultants that handled our consumer research before I arrived. They had a very positive experience with Gelcomm in the past and recommended them for this launch.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent $75,000–$150,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working together in January 2020, and our work is ongoing.

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement? 

Gelcomm did an amazing job. The packaging has been extremely well received. I don’t think we would’ve been successful at getting a new target if the packaging didn’t stand out.

They were very flexible with consumer feedback and parameters that were unique to this launch. They got on calls to make sure the print was understood and managed. The team was communicative. The logo that they developed captured an 82% consumer appeal rating.

The packaging was produced in New Zealand and there were tighter criteria than normal. We were also dealing with four different countries, in terms of production. This project was not easy but Gelcomm was flexible at finding solutions to achieve our goal.

How did Gelcomm perform from a project management standpoint?

We didn’t have a lot of time to get everything done. Gelcomm was really good about telling us when to expect deliverables and moving as quickly as they could.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They’re very solutions-oriented and creative. They don’t push back on what we ask and they’re very flexible.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, nothing comes to mind.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

I would give them as much information upfront on the project. The more information you can provide before you kick-off, the better off they are in terms of the output.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I am the co-founder of Provisor Marketing, a brand strategy and marketing services company. We work with small and mid-sized consumer product brands to help them go to market and compete effectively in today’s omnichannel retail environment.

What challenge were you trying to address with Gelcomm?

Our business process is that we come in and help new brands or heritage brands at large companies that have stopped growing to rethink their business model and set themselves up to grow. We do not keep these types of services in-house, we keep a stable of resources that we use and we bring them in and out depending on the project. We were looking for a long-term package design partner to help invigorate brands.

What was the scope of their involvement?

We have worked with Gelcomm on a number of different brands. Our company begins with consumer research and then looks at all aspects of the brand’s business model, including product assortment, pipeline promotion, brand positioning, and packaging. Most recently, Gelcomm worked with us to rejuvenate heritage brands that had kind of lost their way.

Gelcomm works directly with us and our clients. Their team creates a mood board based on the brand brief we give them. They look into the different moods our clients and our team want to evoke with the brand packaging. Gelcomm then uses out feedback on the mood board to create a package design. Through an iterative process, they get us to a final design that all parties approve of.

What is the team composition?

Typically, we work with 3–4 members of the Gelcomm team. Usually, we work with the art directors, sometimes another graphic designer, an account manager, and Patricio (Owner & CEO, Gelcomm).

How did you come to work with Gelcomm?

Patricio and I connected through networking. We brought Gelcomm in on one small project first to see if we liked the way they worked.

How much have you invested with them?

Overall, we have invested probably $75,000–$80,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our ongoing engagement with Gelcomm began in 2012.

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement? 

Everybody is thrilled with Gelcomm’s work. In fact, one of our clients said, if you want to get it done right, you go to Gelcomm. We had overhauled the business model of that client in several places, and their brand is now growing by 10–15% a year. Package design was instrumental in that engagement. Since we work with many small and mid-sized brands, packaging can be their biggest marketing tool, so it’s something you want to make sure to get right.

How did Gelcomm perform from a project management standpoint?

Gelcomm is excellent at staying on task and meeting timelines, we’ve had great luck with them. We usually communicate with them over a conference call, but I’m also in constant contact with Patricio over the phone and e-mail.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Gelcomm creates amazing mood boards. They’re very good at reading the brief, hearing what you have to say, and then putting it into good creative ideas.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, I honestly have been very happy with their work. We haven’t had any issues.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Get really clear on your brand brief, what the brand stands for, and it’s positioning to the target consumer. Make sure you communicate that clearly to Gelcomm because you will get a much better output if you are really clear on what the brand stands for.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I was the VP of global marketing at a consumer goods company focused on travel accessories. During my time there, the company grew from twenty to thirty employees.

What challenge were you trying to address with Gelcomm?

I was the company’s first full-time marketing executive. When I entered my position, there was no common brand architecture, and the company introduced new products using ad hoc marketing. The core product, a travel pillow, and other accessories had different logo styles and packaging. As we continued to grow, we needed to establish a branding framework and architecture.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Gelcomm provided comprehensive branding services. They began by looking at all aspects of our company and brand. Besides the company’s name, we left nearly everything—the logo, brand colors, photographs, copy tone, packaging, retail displays, ads—open for discussion and flexible to change. In the thorough discovery phase, the Gelcomm team conducted interviews with key stakeholders and attended a major industry event. They considered all consumer and retail touchpoints.

Gelcomm delivered a brand style guide that included our color palette, logos, and photography style. They changed everything from packaging architecture to design, which required some engineering work. The team oversaw a complete packaging rollout of all marketing and sales materials.

What is the team composition?

We were in touch with 5–6 team members. They assigned an account executive to us.

How did you come to work with Gelcomm?

There were many branding agencies to choose from in Los Angeles, and we wanted to work with a local agency and have face-to-face interactions. In particular, I wanted a vendor with a Southern California sensibility. We received word-of-mouth recommendations, narrowed our selection down to five companies, and went through an informal RFP process to understand what these companies would be able to deliver, what it would be like to work with them, and whether their experience made them a good fit for us. I’d worked with Gelcomm in my previous role as a brand director at a television company.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked with Gelcomm from October 2015–January 2017.

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

Our business doubled over four years, halfway through which Gelcomm implemented our brand. Their branding work definitely made a huge difference in the performance of our products.

How did Gelcomm perform from a project management standpoint?

Gelcomm was well-organized. Since the project had a lot of moving pieces, my team often lost track of where we were in the process. However, our Gelcomm account executive was always able to point us in the right direction and update us on progress, which allowed us to continue moving forward.

We had multiple in-person meetings, despite our offices being an hour’s drive apart. Our work with them was incredibly collaborative; we had long discussions about the logo style. Rather than merely emailing or calling us, Gelcomm came prepared with displays and presentations to walk us through the process and talk about what we did or didn’t like. Everyone was part of the conversation, which helped us to get buy-in from the entire senior team.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Gelcomm wanted to understand our business. Their discovery process went beyond key stakeholder interviews; Patricio (Agency Principal and Founder) attended our industry’s biggest trade show at his own expense to better comprehend our market and competitors. We’d been considering a green palette, but Patricio discovered through the trade show that this color scheme was popular amongst our competitors. Rather than having to pursue our own web and retail research, we received this information through an easy discussion with Gelcomm’s team.

My company was very slow and methodical throughout the process, and we didn’t have an urgent deadline. Gelcomm never pressured us to wrap up the project. They accommodated our slow pace, which ultimately allowed for a complete organization buy-in by the time we finished. They delivered on time and then let my team digest their deliverables. My team often didn’t adhere to our timeline, but Gelcomm adjusted the schedule accordingly. We built a strong working relationship over time. They were very receptive and allowed us to bounce ideas off of them, often at no extra cost.  

Are there any areas they could improve?

Gelcomm could have used a more digital system to organize the process and display what step we were on. Although they clearly labeled every file they sent over and often provided physical presentations, I wish there had been a digital archive for us as the client to access and view.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

If your company or industry allows it, take your time and be patient with the process. Doing so gives clients more ownership of their brand, allowing for better end results. By the time we finished our project, we didn’t second-guess ourselves.  

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the senior design director for an online ticketing platform for theaters and exhibitors across the US. We also have a platform for streaming movies at home.

What challenge were you trying to address with Gelcomm?

We wanted to recreate the visual identity, branding, and experience of our product. Nothing had been updated in quite a while, and we wanted a more current and contemporary look across our entire suite of products, including the website, app, and logo. As such, we needed a partner who could create branding guidelines around each of the products.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Gelcomm’s final deliverables were the branding guidelines and mood boards for four different personas. They not only updated the logo but also modernized the font, styles, and colors of our brand. We provided a few suggestions, but they also brought their own ideas in, which optimized our collaboration. For the mood boards, they displayed how the colors, typography, and brand principles would integrate into each of them and also showed how the brand would manifest in different devices, like an iPad or iPhone.

What is the team composition?

We worked with the president, a creative director, and a project manager.

How did you come to work with Gelcomm?

Our creative director had worked with them before. We looked at various other resources, but Gelcomm’s portfolio and references were excellent, so we hired them.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent between $70,000–$100,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together in 2013.

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

We had a positive response from our customers and saw the company grow quite a bit in the following years. From the moment we released the visual update, our metrics have increased year over year.

How did Gelcomm perform from a project management standpoint?

They’re a talented and creative team that also communicates well and frequently. They made sure we understood their ideas, and we had a natural iterative process that had sufficient check-ins. They established clear expectations and were flexible and accommodating when it came to revising certain ideas. We mainly communicated in person and through email.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They have a solid understanding of how much time, energy, and effort goes into the creative process and how to develop actionable deliverables. Their strong creative background translated into an excellent final product.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They could do better at having the deliverables match the initial expectations. However, the iterative process helped solved that.

Do you have any advice for future clients of theirs?

Come prepared with as detailed of a scope as possible and get specific about what you want the end deliverable to be. Then, let them work through their process.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO of You Are Loved Foods. We’re an ultra-clean dessert and treats company, which means that our products are gluten- and sugar-free, paleo, and keto. Our focus is on people who want to reduce the sugar in their diets but still want to be able to enjoy themselves, including diabetics and obese people. 

What challenge were you trying to address with Gelcomm?

We were looking to create a brand atmosphere for the company and branding and architecture for our labels. 

What was the scope of their involvement?

Gelcomm reviewed the branding we were using and told us that it didn’t meet the sophistication and quality of our product. Our branding overemphasized the health element, and Gelcomm told us to replace it immediately. We were resistant given that it wasn’t a small investment, even though their pricing was more reasonable than most. The first step of the engagement was to architect our message on the existing branding, but I asked them for a redesign a couple of months in.

The next step was a scan of what the market looked like and what the competition was doing. Gelcomm provided us with a range of branding personality palettes. They segmented the market. We looked at what brands were doing in both the healthy and the decadent markets. Gelcomm gave us a palette or personality board of other products that were out there and told us which directions we could go. They did a good job of reflecting the personalities of the brands out there, in terms of color palette, messaging type, or packaging architecture. 

We had nine SKUs, which is a lot for a small company. The products were in different parts of the day’s food requirement and in different parts of the store. We needed to have a brand personality for each, and we have a lot of messaging because the health benefits of the products are extensive. The clean-label market was the crossroads of 4–5 exclusionary lifestyles, such as gluten-free and sugar-free. The messaging is complicated, with many different certifications. Gelcomm was quick in developing that messaging, which was helpful for launching to a lot of stores. We completed the first phase deciding on the basic brand and label architecture.

It was an incredibly collaborative process. Gelcomm came up with four approaches and personalities on the market, and I wanted to blend three of them. There was back and forth discussion at a senior level with Patricio (Owner and CEO, Gelcomm) and his partner. We came up with a collaborative presentation, both at a high level, in terms of basic brand structure and personality, down to details about fonts and graphics subtleties.

What is the team composition?

We had an account manager who handled the engagement side including paperwork and scheduling. I worked with Patricio on some of the day-to-day things. There was a senior graphic design person in place basically running the team and that’s whom I dealt with on a regular basis. Patricio was always around, which made a big difference. I received senior attention.

How did you come to work with Gelcomm?

We saw them and a lot of branding and marketing companies at a natural products trade show called Expo West. We also received a referral for Gelcomm. What they’d done for other companies resonated with me. Most of the other companies were set in their own processes, while Gelcomm seemed a lot more flexible. They related to us in a more personal way, and their principals were involved. They were also more flexible in terms of pricing. They stood out to me because of their commitment. Their website was unique, catchy, and personal.

How much have you invested with them?

We ended up coming in under $20,000, including all the initial label work.

What is the status of this engagement?

We started working with Gelcomm in March 2015. By June 2015, we realized that we needed rebranding. We launched the project that month, and we completed the first phase in August of that year. 

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

There were some major decisions that they pushed hard on and I was reluctant about. It turned out they were right. We received a lot of positive feedback on how their branding elevated the presentation and atmosphere of the brand. Brands have personalities, and their labels create expectations. In an unprecedented way, we created an expectation of high-level elegance and sophistication within the natural products and clean-food market, which we needed to do. The expectation when picking up the box was that this was going to be an elegant, sophisticated food experience of extremely high quality. 

We’ve had customers call us and ask if we had any printed artwork for sale to put on their walls. People loved the artwork to the point where I went into someone’s house and they had our label framed on the wall. It won a graphics award.

How did Gelcomm perform from a project management standpoint?

I was happy with their responsiveness, communication, and adherence to the timeline.

What did you find most impressive about them?

There was a lot of senior attention and interaction. On the business side, there was a reasonable amount of compromise to accommodate us. It was a great interactive process, and we got a quality product out of it. It was an enjoyable working environment.

Are there any areas they could improve?

They have talented people, but they need more of them. Patricio is good at choosing talented staff, which is great. It was an unequivocally positive experience.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the CEO and founder of The Dirty Cookie. We make customized, unique, specialty cookies.

What challenge were you trying to address with Gelcomm?

We had been open for a few months and I was struggling to create a brand that matched our product, so we hired Gelcomm for support in this effort.

What was the scope of their involvement?

To start the project, Gelcomm asked us a set of questions to better understand our goals and mission as a company. They came to our store, analyzed our product, and interviewed me to collect more data. From there, they created my logo using real chocolate syrup so it was personalized to my company. The next item produced was a brand guide that includes our mission and values. They also created all of our packaging design for our products.

What is the team composition?

We worked with four people from the Gelcomm team. Patricio (Agency Principal & Founder, Gelcomm) frequently interacted with us and there was a dedicated creative agency.

How did you come to work with Gelcomm?

I received quotes from several branding companies, but Gelcomm’s fit our budget and needs the most. We also chose them because of how family-oriented and supportive they were; we felt comfortable with the relationship.

How much have you invested with them?

In total, we spent around $15,000 on all of their services.

What is the status of this engagement?

The project ran for a year from 2016–2017.

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

I receive amazing compliments on the packaging and logo design. The look of our brand is unique; we love it. Gelcomm did a terrific job producing a creative final product for us.

How did Gelcomm perform from a project management standpoint?

They were very responsive throughout the project. We had weekly calls and met in-person a few times.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They put in the effort to understand our vision and worked with our budget, which we value as a startup. Their team was genuinely invested in helping us achieve our goals. We appreciated their willingness to work on our payment plan because it showed the project was about more than just money for them.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I can’t think of anything for them to improve on.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be open and communicate your ideas clearly. They’re willing to change their direction if you want something different, so don’t hesitate in letting them know your thoughts.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the former CEO of a sustainability manufacturing company. We made biodegradable, compostable products. 

What challenge were you trying to address with Gelcomm?

We engaged Gelcomm to provide branding and packaging services. We wanted to narrow down our message and get across our desired image. We also needed strategies to increase brand awareness in the consumer goods marketplace.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Gelcomm created brand materials to guide us from a startup to having a more substantial market presence. For some projects, we provided guidelines; for others, we had more back-and-forth with Gelcomm. The team performed market research to gauge marketplace interest and how best to tell our story. They advised on strategies from start to finish as well.

What is the team composition?

We worked with three people. Patricio (Agency Principal & Founder, Gelcomm) was our primary point of contact.

How did you come to work with Gelcomm?

We found about their team from an acquaintance in the sustainability world. Gelcomm offered fresh designs and a full spectrum of services—they offered branding, strategy, and packaging in the same house. They even took the time to visit our offices before the project began to make sure our project fit their skill set.

What is the status of this engagement?

We worked together from January 2016—June 2017.

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

Our company went from having no listings on consumer and industry reports to being better known in the sustainability world. Gelcomm helped increase our brand recognition as well as our website visits and clicks.

How did Gelcomm perform from a project management standpoint?

Gelcomm’s deliverables met our timeline and budget and exceeded our expectations. The team gave monthly reports as needed, and we communicated over email and texts.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The team didn’t just offer creatives ideas; they also executed them and brought them to life. This trait separated Gelcomm from past vendors I’ve worked with. 

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, we had an excellent experience working with their team. We appreciated Gelcomm’s willingness to often go above and beyond to meet our needs.

Any advice for potential customers?

Let Gelcomm take the lead on your projects. They have experience in offering quality ideas to achieve your desired outcomes.