How to Stay Sane, tip. no 6. We know there’s a lot of resources to immerse ourselves in, actions to take, and a relentless news cycle to keep up with. In order to stay activated for the long-term, we hope that you are able to take some time to take care of yourself, whatever that looks like for you.

A note from our founder, @josh.chendesign: we just celebrated our 29th anniversary and have weathered our share of storms, but like many other small businesses find ourselves in uncharted territory. As we’re trying to stay flexible and innovative, we’ve come up with a new initiative called 4-4-4—a sprint-style offering of our services at a new price. Check out the details above and DM us to chat further. Hope you’re staying healthy and well.

We're excited to team up with @project_proceed to help out local small businesses in the form of custom-designed t-shirts! We miss eating at @TrueBurgerOakland with our friends, but they're still open for takeout and now you can slurp milkshakes while also supporting them through the purchase of these tees. Check out further details in the post, and you can shop through the link in our bio. #projectproceed #chendesign

For a storied hotel in Hopland, CA, we experimented with visuals that would appeal to modern-day pioneers, invoking a pleasurable sense of adventure and a contemporary experience of heritage. We accomplished this by bridging the best of the past with the energy of renewal, honoring a living community’s roots — and planting surprises along the way. Check out our explorations further through the link in our bio.

We didn’t realize how our Out of Office zine would feel so fitting for the times, and our limited edition, inaugural Food Issue is now available to order online. Chock full of food-related fun (like ramen hack recipes!), the zine can be yours for only $10, plus postage fees. Link to shop in our bio! #chendesign

Webster Eleven is an upcoming mixed-use development near Oakland City Center, and is a modern living community where people can come together to connect, discover, and learn. We worked on naming, branding, and content strategy. Check out the full case study through the link.

Saving what matters in these times has taken on new meaning, beyond the original intent of @stasherbag #SaveWhatMatters campaign, and we're inspired to see Stasher continue making moves for healthy people, along with a healthy planet. Our work in crafting handwritten logos, illustrations, and infographics was done with those same values of generosity, community, and interconnectedness in mind. Let’s take care of each other. View more from the project through link in bio. #chendesign

Stasher is on a mission to reduce the use of single-use plastics and their harmful effects on the earth, and Save What Matters is their campaign to empower people to join them in their efforts. We partnered with @stasherbag to bring the look and feel of #SaveWhatMatters to life, and are excited to share more soon. #chendesign

Alice House is an art deco-inspired residential building in the heart of Downtown Oakland and our team was tasked with bringing the brand to life, from positioning to naming to visual identity. Take a further look at the full case study through the link. #chendesign

We provided custom illustrations featuring adorable animals in their natural habitats for @alaffia’s Baobab Baby and Kids line in order to better emotionally connect with customers. Throughout this whole process, we immersed ourselves in the roots and essence of the brand, and our team is proud to be creative partner to Alaffia and support its mission of advancing education, sustainable living, and gender equality to African communities. To see the full case study, click through to the link in our profile! #alaffia #chendesign

Our task was to solve the challenge of the complexity and scale of our client’s extensive offerings, and we united six different collections—each with their distinct audiences, multiple lines and scents—cohesively under one parent brand. For @alaffia’s Authentic African Black Soap collection, we customized letterforms that meld a love for handcrafted tradition with a modern African-tastemaker ethos. Read more about our process through the link in our profile.

We were charged to “bring back the soul” of the @Alaffia brand through reimagining its identity and packaging, and are excited to share the outcome of our partnership! Alaffia empowers women’s futures and entire communities in Togo, West Africa through their social enterprise model and we wanted to provide unmistakable brand recognition through a contemporary and bold, yet refined and joyful look. Check out the full case study through the link in our profile.

One of OOO’s articles reveals the surprisingly plentiful connections @josh.chendesign has with the culinary world. We asked some lighthearted questions to some celebrated chefs and so we’ll ask you too. What’s your guilty pleasure food? Let us know in the comments below for a chance to win one of five copies of our zine! Ends 2/12.

“Constraints actually help the creative process,” says our principal @josh.chendesign on the blending of science, art and design, “because without constraints, you don’t force yourself to think about how you can create something outside the box or differently.”⁠⠀ ⁠⠀ The team had fun stretching beyond the familiar full-color comfort zone by selecting and restricting our design to two striking solid inks that would blend into rich duotones and subtle overprinting possibilities for our first OOO zine.⁠⠀ ⁠⠀ Copies hit the streets and a mailbox near you any day. Look for yours!

Wishing you and yours holidays filled with good cheer and comforting food. While we’re out of office enjoying time off, smile, because OOO will be coming soon to a mailbox near you.

Introducing Out of Office, a Chen Design team-wide collaboration in the form of a zine. Our first issue celebrates food—our favorite, not-just-fancy fare that warms our bellies and fills our hearts (or is it the other way around?). We’ll be sharing a more in-depth look inside the zine’s pages, but for now, just a tantalizing peek. #chendesign

We’re thrilled to be working with the good people at @alaffia, led by Olowo-n’djo Tchala, who walks the talk of equality and empowerment. Give a gift that gives back with their fair trade, handcrafted body, face & hair care. More to be unveiled in 2020.

Behind-the-scenes on a luxury beauty brand we're building. Hits the global market in 2020. ⁠⠀

"Rethinking the craft of cold." Our work for @elementalbevco was recently featured in @communicationarts! Check out an updated case study through the link in our bio.

From brand identity to packaging to environment, we stepped into the customers’ shoes to reimagine and improve the @cauldronicecream experience IRL so that every moment would be memorable. Click the link in bio to read through the full case study! #chendesign(3/3)

Our team explored how a balanced interplay between playful and refined could come to life. A neutral palette with pops of color and clean typography (with a nod to the “cauldron” where ice cream is freshly made) all came together to rebuild @cauldronicecream‘s image. Take a look at the full case study through the link in bio. #chendesign (2/3)

With bustling lines, internet fame, and franchises opening left and right, the founders of @CauldronIceCream realized that their current branding needed a refresh and we happily became their creative partners. We believe that great design is grounded in thoughtful brand strategy, so after an inspiring workshop with the team, we researched, synthesized, and defined a brand ethos to set Cauldron apart in a crowded marketplace of tasty desserts. Check out the full case study through the link in bio! #chendesign (1/3)

Our concept for @elementalbevco's ready-to-drink cold coffee was based on an abstract watercolor interpretation of the nuanced flavors of single origin beans. The San Alejo offering pictured here has notes of peanut butter, maple syrup, and candied orange. Yum.

It's always exciting to see our designs come to life on the production line. Learn more about the behind-the-scenes of our collaboration with @elementalbevco through the link in our bio, and many thanks to @communicationarts for the feature!

We were thrilled to partner with Near Future Summit 2019 and be part of an amazing three days in La Jolla. Innovative thinkers, entrepreneurs, activists, and investors committed to finding new ways to bring positive change for local and global communities. We heard from speakers like Gov. Gavin Newsom, Tony Hsieh, Tiffany Shlain, Jewel, Newsha Ghaeli, and G-Easy and are going home re-energized to work toward our best collective future! #nfs2019 #chendesign

Introducing Elemental Beverage Co., launching today at Specialty Coffee Expo. With their patented Snapchill™ technology, hot coffee transforms to cold in less than a minute without compromising taste by dilution, oxidation, or additives. We created unexpected branding and packaging to reimagine the experience of chilled, single-origin coffee through every detail.⁣ Read more about our work through the link in profile!

Our strategy team recently spent two phenomenal days with Stephen Gould, the largest independent product and packaging solutions provider in the US. We facilitated a two-day design strategy workshop with 13 of their top leaders, diving deep into their website’s user experience. It’s always great to be with clients in person and we’re grateful for the opportunity to experience Stephen Gould's dynamic, people-first culture and continue our partnership building the brand together.