The Year in Review: 2021

Just like that, another year is behind us.

Like many folks, we slowly and cautiously emerged from our homes and back into the office a few days a week. We had a few to-dos: Redecorate our desks. Hang up new inspo. And of course, bring our office plants back to life. 

Still working on that last one. 

It's been great to be together again, if sparingly. We've rekindled in-person dynamics and sparked a ton of ideas. Our new talent has played a huge part in this.

Nicole Peaslee, Creative Designer
With a photography background and designer skills, Nicole has been an awesome addition to our team. Her production chops help us execute faster and more efficiently. We know Nicole can handle anything we throw her way–and we do a lot of throwing-it-her-way.

Danny May, Copywriter
Danny took off running from day one. He’s pitched in on branding, social strategy, content strategy, copywriting and editing. It’s hard to overstate the value of having a writer on a design-centric team. We’ve taken our collaborative process to a new level.

Amy Drew, Senior Creative
It’s a given that Amy is a great designer. Website design, front-end development, lettering and illustrations–she does it all. We’ve also tapped into some of her secret skills in the form of note taking and process management. Nothing gets past Amy.

Great teams make for great work, and we were set up for success this year, thanks in large part to our engaged clients. Our work for good causes led the way as we partnered with Community Action Coalition, Olbrich Botanical Gardens, EdNavigator, Rural Schools Collaborative, Education Analytics, TNTP, Eugene Symphony, Wormfarm Institute, The Goodman Center, Wisconsin Land and Water and the Natural Resources Foundation of Wisconsin. 

Edtech nonprofit Education Analytics likes to say they work "at the nexus of research and technology." The split focus of their work mixed with their strong spirit of collaboration inspired the new brand aesthetic. We evoked equity, collaboration and partnership through a visual system that's energetic and engaging. 

We worked with our friends at EdNavigator to brand and kick off a second season of Camp Kinda, a virtual summer learning experience. This year, we introduced Camp Kinda Jr. for the preschool set, expanding the tools to track child progress through the weekly modules.

Gwenyn Hill Farm, an organic farm and CSA near Waukesha, approached us to help enhance their brand recognition. Their rich history and sustainable approach to agriculture presented a huge opportunity for storytelling. We redesigned their website and developed a new social media strategy, incorporating themes of land ethic and the bounty of nature.

We redesigned and consolidated the websites for Wormfarm Institute and their signature event, Fermentation Fest, for a more aligned digital experience. This smaller site is built on a platform we created on Craft CMS, which we've named Sourdough. The starter is a robust set of responsive templated pages and modules that give our clients the freedom to create new pages and edit content independently on an easy-to-use, back-end platform. It's flexible, efficient and extensive, but not generic.

We took a tired brand stuck in the past and reenvisioned Community Action Coalition of South Central WI to reflect new leadership and a dynamic approach to its mission to end poverty. Through updated messaging and a new visual system to communicate all facets of their work, CAC experienced a big return in 2021: record donations and a new brand platform to help CAC do the most good. There's more to come, with a website update launching later this month.

We kicked off 2021 with a fun project for one of our longstanding clients, Pasture & Plenty. The ever-ambitious Christy McKenzie embarked on a fundraising effort to purchase the building next to her flagship store and to build the Makeshop, a shared production kitchen dedicated to helping a diverse culinary community thrive.  We helped her with branding, fundraising and environmental signage. The Makeshop opened in early fall 2021.

One of the Makeshop’s first partners was Milpa, maker of salsas, tamales and more. Shannon Berry and Miroslava Muñoz established the startup within the Makeshop, and we designed the visual identity and packaging for their excellent tamales and salsas. We also designed the Milpa website.

Origin Breads challenged us to develop new, distinct bread labels. Guided by the philosophy of owner and head baker Kirk Smock, we created an earthy, natural color palette, and a label design depicting sun, wheat and land—the origins of essential ingredients for good bread. Updated granola packaging will be hitting the shelves soon.

Twice a year, we help Florsheim Kids roll out their new lines of shoes. On top of a photoshoot and concepting for the season’s style guide, we design and produce email content to market the new line.

We produce these shoots in collaboration with Chris Hynes.

Our ongoing work with our friends at Kosa Spa continues to be vibrant and rewarding. We partner with founder Shilpa Sankaran to regularly develop new materials as she expands her line of ayurvedic lines of body products, home goods and food and beverages.  

A few big projects are still under wraps here at Cricket Design Works. We’re preparing for launches in early 2022 and can’t wait to share them with you. Here's a sneak peek:

Branding & Collateral

Branding & Packaging

Report series and campaign for Rigorous Goal Setting

While 2021 was great (albeit weird and uncertain), we’re even more excited about what 2022 holds. The fire is stoked and we’re ready to light things up. Stay safe out there!