Design Showcase: Bo Anshutz, Anchor Bay Design
Featuring the packages for Kaptein Coffee, Social Club Coffee Co., Forestland Coffee, and more.
Who: Bo Anshutz (He/Him)
Role: Founder/Lead Designer
Where: Tampa, FL
Connect: https://www.anchorbaydesign.com/ • @anchorbaydesign •
Roastar Profile: https://www.roastar.com/designers/bo-anshutz
What they order: I think the thing that surprises my clients the most is that I work almost 100% in the coffee industry and don’t drink coffee. I have never been a fan of hot drinks but I love the coffee industry and what coffee means to so many people!
Fun Bo Fact: Their favorite guilty pleasure movies are Hallmark Christmas Movies!
R!WC: Bo, thanks for chatting with us at Roast! West Coast. I'm excited to learn more about your design work, but first, I'd like to ask about you! Who are you?
Bo: I am just a guy that grew up in a small town in South Dakota and then moved to the big city. I've always dreamed of owning my own business. Even from the age of 12 years old when I started my own lawn service in our small town in South Dakota. I learned valuable life and business skills like hard work, integrity, customer service, and dedication from both my own business and working for our family businesses.
I started my design career building and maintaining the art department for the first 25 Sprouts Farmers Market stores. In 2006, I started freelancing—determined to create a resource for business owners and managers that would eliminate the search for multiple vendors for graphic design and product packaging needs.
R!WC: How long have you been working in design, and how did you get started specifically in packaging design?
Bo: I finished design school in 2002. I was offered a job as I was finishing school to come develop and maintain the art department for Sprouts Farmers Market. It was at Sprouts that I got really interested in packaging.
When I left Sprouts to start my own business, their coffee vendor was looking for a designer, so I ended up doing 80 hours/month of contract work for them, and that is when I fell in love with the coffee industry. I was able to gain so much knowledge of the roasting process as well as the FDA laws. I was in charge of designing the packaging for them as well as all their private-label clients.
R!WC: You recently relocated and rebranded your company. Because you're a designer, is it easier or harder to tackle a self-rebrand, and why?
Bo: Yes, I just relocated my business and family from Phoenix, Arizona, to Tampa, Florida. The rebrand has been fun, but I do have a hard time designing for myself. This time, it was easier because the name gave me a lot to play with. A lot of times, designers use their last name, and you don't have any inspiration for that because it isn't tied to anything. It has been a fun process!
R!WC: What makes for a good designer/client relationship?
Bo: I think the biggest thing is for the designer to listen more and talk less. Often times designers only want to do their idea instead of listening to what the customer really wants. It is important to listen to what the client is asking for while also educating the client. At the same time, a client can become very locked in on one idea, so I will usually design their concept as well as another idea just to open their mind to different options.
R!WC: What is your strategy or philosophy when brainstorming the design concept for a new package? What are the challenges? What is the fun part?
Bo: I start out by adding the logo and text. After that, I start changing the fonts and colors and adding the vision to the bag. The best part is hearing the feedback from the client after the first proof is sent.
R!WC: What makes for a good coffee package design? Why do some packages stand out on the shelf?
Bo: It is common for a person to first come to me and say they want a package design that is full of color, just like all the packaging they see on the shelves. I try to point out to my clients that you need to stand out, so you have to do something that is different than what everyone else is doing.
R!WC: Why do you think you're well-suited to being an entrepreneur? What made you think running a business was right for you?
Bo: Growing up in South Dakota is what gave me the work ethic and business skills. I worked for my dad and brother, who owned their own businesses, and then had my own mowing service. I always knew that I would have my own business when I grew up. It was just a matter of when.
R!WC: What is something that you've learned about running your business that has surprised you or you've had to learn the hard way?
Bo: The biggest thing I learned is that there are always challenges at every stage. When you are starting out, you think all problems will go away once your business grows, but new challenges come up. I am constantly learning and growing, and I think that is the best part about owning a business.
R!WC: What questions should a client ask of a potential designer/design firm?
Bo: I work mostly in the packaging world, so I would say that the most important thing to ask the designer is if they have ever designed packaging and if they are familiar with the FDA laws.
Package design is so different than designing something that gets printed on a flat piece of paper. With packaging, you have to take into consideration the print areas as well as how the bag folds and what it will look like as a whole finished product. Also, with packaging, it is important to know what their future goals are because that will more than likely come into play on how you design the first package.
R!WC: What is your dream design job, and why?
Bo: I feel like I am living my dream job currently. I love designing packaging. Every day is different and a fun new opportunity to create something new.
R!WC: I saw a photo of you wearing a Chicago Cubs t-shirt. Is it difficult knowing that such a great team like the Milwaukee Brewers* is right up the road?
Bo: LOL…Yes! I have been a Cubs fan since I was a kid, so it has been rough for many years, but I will forever be happy that I was able to see them win a World Series in my lifetime!
R!WC: Is there anything else we didn't cover that listeners should know about you and/or the new Anchor Bay Design?
Bo: I think the most important thing to remember is to have fun with what you are doing. I love designing, but [I] also love getting to talk with new people all over the United States and the world and getting to know more about their journeys and backgrounds. I have met so many interesting people in my 17 years of freelancing.
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FONTS:
Gotham is available via Typography.com. Bebas is available via DaFont.com. Fisherman is available via DaFont.com.
Fun fact: There are 66 different versions of Gotham!