Periodically throughout the year, we would release swag collections, or "drops," both internally to employees and occasionally externally to clients. Each collection typically comprised 3-5 items carefully chosen to align with the theme.
As I was a part of the LGBTQ community, this collection I was tasked with was to be based around Pride and festival season.
Before getting started, I met with upper management from the Executive, People, and Finance teams to discuss budget and timelines. Once those were decided, I created a mood board and art-directed the theme, aesthetic, and items for the collection. After the theme was approved, I designed the key art and elements to be used on the selected items. With the support of the team, we talked with vendors to determine the quantity of each item to be produced, based on cost, lead time, and the launch date. Once the designs and quantities were approved, we sent them in for production. While the items were being produced, the team and I worked on the website where the items would be available for order. Each drop maintained the same layout, but we updated the copy, colors, and imagery to match the theme.
When item samples arrived, I collaborated with photographers on how the items would be shot for videos and photos for the website. Finally, we created an email campaign to build hype across the entire company for the upcoming drop.
A design to represent the meaning of “Love is love” using a mix of multiple different fonts together.
Key art for the "Natural Wonder" collection.
The main item of the collection representing the uniqueness of everyone. With a limited quantity of 50, each hoodie had a unique airbrush configuration.
This satin scarf used the aura gradient and a scaled version “Natural Wonder” design to create a colorful but elevated feel.
The crossbody bag of the collection had a custom printed strap of the collection name along with a custom water bottle and some stickers and carabiner.
For each drop, we would theme the website to match that collection at the time. A couple screenshots showing the changing color and animation.
Based on our post-drop survey, this release was a massive success, especially the limited edition hoodies we produced. Employees found most of the items useful and fun, though some of the smaller items, like the keychain, were deemed less useful. This feedback will help us refine our next collection to include more practical items.