ARGONAUT, the San Francisco-based shop part of Project Worldwide. The agency is expanding it’s offering with the launch of a new, fully-integrated branding and design group, Atelier by ARGONAUT, which will focus on Design Strategy, Brand Identify, and Brand Experience.
ARGONAUT has dipped their toes in this type of work for various clients since opening in 2013, but have decided to formalize the practice now. RightRice (a new product created by Keith Belling, Founder of PopChips) is the first official client of Atelier and the first work – which spans social/digital, OOH and an influencer kit – launched last month. This debut work just scratches the surface of what Atelier will be able to offer clients. See attached for examples of that work.
The agency promoted Angie McDonald to head the new group as Design Director; she’s been working at the agency for nearly 4 years, most recently as Senior Art Director/Designer. See attached for a photo of her alongside the new Atelier logo/office façade.
Atelier by ARGONAUT is a design group housed within SF-based advertising agency, ARGONAUT, which focuses on helping brands develop stronger intrinsic and implicit communications with consumers via design. Atelier’s expertise spans Design Strategy, Brand Identify, and Brand Experience, with specific offerings that include naming strategy, visual systems, brand guidelines, packaging design, digital design, and consumer experience journeys as it relates to a holistic branding and design system, both online and offline.
Quote from Hunter: “Since we opened ARGONAUT, we’ve always valued design and have had the talent to deliver on this aspect of branding for our clients,” said Hunter Hindman, ARGONAUT Co-Founder and Chief Creative Officer. “We’re excited to formalize it in a way that will allow us to go after more design-specific projects, to supplement the more traditional branding and campaign work we do. Our design talent has never been stronger and we’re eager to see what Angie and the team will do. What we did for Right Rice is just scratching the surface of what Atelier is capable of.”
Quote from Angie: “Designers are often used as a pair of hands, with no real conceptual muscle. This is caused by a lack of understanding of what good designers do. The true value of a design mind is the ability to empathize with a viewer and therefore prioritize what is important and what is not. What is necessary and what is not. When you realize this, you can see how that skill can extend into almost every aspect of an agency. A good design department not only works on key pieces of client work but is also ingrained in the culture. It works across departments to solve problems and create systems that work long-term. Whether that’s designing a workspace, an RFP, a cultural program, or an internal newsletter. The design department shouldn’t be a place where projects end up, but rather a place where every great project begins.”
Quote from Keith Belling, Founder & CEO of RightRice: “The team at Atelier has been amazing to work with. They were able to build on our brand positioning and packaging/visual system to develop our brand, voice, and campaigns across social, out of home and influencer marketing. We couldn’t be more excited about the campaigns we started to unveil when we launched February 15th. The Atelier team was insightful, creative and fun to work with, and most importantly, quick to align with our goals for @RightRice.”
