Independent thinking for brands of all sizes.
When we first launched Cognoscenti Creative in 2015, we built the business with independent founders in mind—namely chefs or other creative small business owners. Yet as our network, capabilities and interests have evolved, we’ve realized that this “independent” mindset can scale to businesses of all sizes, allowing us to provide a personal, customized experience to brands at all stages of growth.
Since then, we’ve worked with first-time entrepreneurs and established household names—and no matter the actual state of ownership, we bring a sense of collaborative, agile creativity that feels more startup than staid. So in this issue of the Cognoscenti Quarterly, we’ve decided to highlight four businesses at distinctly different stages—two with national reach and two forthcoming launches in our local community—to showcase how our “boutique” approach supports the full spectrum of brand evolution.
MENU MATTERS
National
Visual Branding, Core Messaging, Website Design, Email Marketing + Social Media Strategy
The term “trend forecasting” may feel more corporate than connective—but in the case of Menu Matters, this data-driven team helps a wide range of F&B brands and trade organizations tap into the deeper, more human side of consumer psychology. Overcoming their industry’s transactional reputation was at the heart of our collaboration with strategists Maeve and Mike, as we worked to highlight the hospitality-rooted ethos of their approach. Eschewing a typical tech- or corporate-oriented identity for a vibe that aligns more closely with a CPG brand or restaurant group, our multi-faceted collaboration showcases the full spectrum—educational, curious and even community-oriented—of Maeve and Mike’s work.
NEAT METHOD
National
Brand + Product Photography
As any founder will tell you, continuing to grow and maintain an initial burst of business success requires an ever-evolving strategy. For the team at NEAT Method—a nationally recognized home organizing service with a signature product line—that evolution included revisiting brand imagery from a more experiential perspective. Specifically, we were commissioned to help execute an editorial, lifestyle-oriented shoot that showcased the brand’s products in use throughout a design-forward home. Recruiting the talents of Denver-based prop stylist Jessie Capstick, this two-day shoot helped bring a sense of approachable, yet aspirational energy to NEAT Method’s everyday marketing efforts.
HYTTE & CO.
Boulder, Colorado
Visual Branding + Core Messaging
Having already collaborated with Danish founder Andrea Uzarowski on the opening of her beloved Scandinavian café and retail shop, Süti & Co., we were thrilled to go back to the drawing board for a second brand launch this fall. Building on her customers’ frequent appeals for design advice, Andrea saw an opportunity to create a home goods and lifestyle shop that not only carries beautiful, heirloom-quality goods, but also stages them in an instructive and aspirational way. Opening this week, Hytte & Co. is inspired by the layered, story-driven curation of Danish cabin aesthetics, in which family heritage plays an essential role in the design of each space.
HARVEY PARK FARMERS MARKET
Denver, Colorado
Visual Branding + Website Design
Though the Denver metro area has seen the opening of several new greenmarkets over the past ten years, Harvey Park resident Allie Bronston regularly found herself driving 30 minutes to access fresh, local produce. As nearby markets also became increasingly crowded, she decided to provide a much-needed local resource for her friends and neighbors. Our goal in branding this market was to draw inspiration from the midcentury modern aesthetic that defines much of Harvey Park, while also representing a fun, vibrant array of the types of products residents might find throughout the market season.
CULTURE STUDY ⊹ NEW ORLEANS
Over the past few years, we’ve had the pleasure of exploring and discovering New Orleans as a branding partner to our pals at Oyster Sunday—a woman-owned hospitality consulting firm. Most recently, we’ve been diving into the city’s history via a series of boutique hotel projects, and we’re truly astounded by the depth of creative inspiration that lurks around each corner.
New Orleans is one of only a handful of cities in the U.S. that feel architecturally, artistically and culturally distinct. The city’s casual-yet-exceptional hospitality and spontaneous, ever-evolving music scene make even fleeting moments feel unusually memorable. Yet perhaps most noteworthy is a living sense of history—one that is continually present, yet not entirely preservationist. Here, iconic structures take on second or third lives that are as vibrant and relevant as the first, rather than simply paying homage to the past. This tension of rootedness and constant revision makes New Orleans shimmer with a magnetic energy that draws you back time and again.
WORK IN PROGRESS ⊹ LANDSCAPE DESIGN
Purchasing an existing company is an incredible opportunity, but comes with its own unique set of challenges. In the past few months, we’ve been supporting an entrepreneurial couple who acquired a high-end landscape design firm with 25+ years of experience. The pair hope to bring a greater sense of customer service to the typically transactional sector of client-contractor relationships. Yet even more ambitious is their aspirational approach to design, encouraging clients to imagine an ideal outdoor lifestyle, rather than simply addressing exterior aesthetics. From renaming, to logo design, messaging and website design, there's plenty more to come from this project!