Built to be revisited when a project begins, a brief needs reframing, or ideas need momentum. Throughout each month, we bookmark standout studios, brands, designers, illustrators, artists, and design resources and index them here as a curated, reference-ready rolodex.
July 2026 — Issue 004. Softer lines and illustrations. Quirky brand personalities. This issue focuses on elevated production, photography, and branding, as well as down-to-earth handcrafted and hand-drawn items and identities. An overarching thread of just great, fun branding!
Illustrations • Pattern Design • Editorial Design • Prints
Freelance illustrator, pattern designer, and art director based in the south of France. Marty’s style features organic lines and neutral, soft color palettes — and her extensive portfolio includes work across various lifestyle, travel, fashion, and editorial brands.
Photography • Art Direction • Product Photography
Photographer and creative director specializing in still life and product photography (plus some motion too). Her clients include cosmetics and luxury skincare brands, like La Mer, Living Proof, and Merit.
Set Design • Production Design • Creative Direction • Visual Narratives
Set and production designer — including work for Polène and WWD — from Burgundy, France known for visual narratives for campaigns and live experiences. Many portfolio pieces focus on handcrafted techniques, archival storytelling, and tactile visual narratives.
Paintings • Art • Exhibitions
Artist and book publisher (through Banana Books), Spanish-born Zarraluki focuses on the “strangeness of the human condition” and his earlier works repurposed photographs from magazines to be bug-eyed creatures (Artsy). His recent work often features small figures in large landscapes.
Brand Identity • Brand Design • Packaging Design • Production Services
Independent strategy and design studio founded in Montreal and based in New York. The agency’s team is small, multidisciplinary, and full service, with designers, strategists, and writers from around the globe.
Brand Identity • Brand Design • Motion Design • Campaigns • Typography
Paris-based creative studio Tyrsa was founded by Alexis Taïeb after 15+ years of his own creative practice. The studio considers itself a place where typography meets storytelling and lettering, branding, and visual experimentation comes together.
Brand Experience • Brand Strategy • Brand Design • Brand Activation
An Amsterdam-based studio built on the belief that brand distinctiveness comes from within — stories, emotions, and truths that sit beneath the surface.
Ceramics • Wabi Sabi • Handmade • Gifts
Copenhagen-based independent design and production studio Arhoj was founded in 2011 by Anders Arhoj. The studio handcrafts ceramics, glass pieces, rugs, and other items for the home and office. Many items feature playful facial expressions (Arhoj studied in Japan and was inspired by the Shinto belief that everything has a soul).
Clothing • Accessories • Lifestyle • Illustrations
Korean store Nounou (a combo of the name Lou and French “nous”) was founded as a project by creative director Jae Huh and artist Jean Jullien. It was meant to answer the question: what would a Korean brand look like through the eyes of a Korean’s French friend? Nounou is the resulting character inspired by Jullien's illustrations.
Mental Health • Services • Workshops
Mental health services, education, and research alongside cute, uplifting illustrations — the company offers mental health services and therapy for individuals and organizations.
Perfume • Beauty Products • Fragrances • Gifts
Zielinski & Rozen’s roots date back to 1905 and was founded in Old Jaffa. The brand has one perfumer, Erez Rozen, and the brand’s name is a combination of his parents’ last names. The brand’s niche scents are meant to be layered to create the wearer’s signature blend.
Furniture • Accessories • Sustainability • Membership
reEDIT finds ocean-bound plastics, discarded containers, and landfill materials and repurposes them into charms, accessories, and furniture to redefine “wearing trash” as a compliment. Their membership includes recycling services and limited edition gear.
Packaging Design • Design Inspiration • Resources
A staple packaging and branding resource with a website chock full of articles, case studies, and a packaging design directory. The creative platform was founded in 2007 by Andrew Gibbs and hosts the Dieline Awards — it’s meant to be a space to share creativity and solutions for the packaging industry and community.
Graphic Design • Brand Design • Branding
An Instagram platform dedicated to branding and a great resource to find interesting case studies and get a feel for specific agencies or studios.
A note from us: The Brand Snapshot is just getting started. Leave a comment, message us, follow us on Instagram — and tell us what brands and categories resonate with you most or who you’d like to see in a snapshot next. We’re building a brand rolodex of the best brands you’ve never heard of.
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