Design Showcase: Emily Foster Arias, We Are Charette
Featuring the packages for Orosi, Sand & Sea, Critical Mass, and more.
Who: Emily Foster Arias, We Are Charette
Role: Owner/Principle Designer
Where: St. Augustine, FL
Connect: @WeAreCharette • https://www.wearecharette.com/ • Roastar Profile
What they order: Cappuccino (in the world) or Nespresso (at home)
Motto: Designing with Clarity, Wit and Heart
R!WC: Emily, thanks for chatting with 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?! Where are you from? What are some essential things about you?
Emily: I own We Are Charette, a branding, packaging and web studio based in Florida. I grew up in Texas and graduated from the spectacular Communication Design program at University of North Texas, then cut my teeth at Turner Duckworth in San Francisco, designing for global brands. When my first daughter was born, I left that job to work from home so I could primarily be a full time mom. After my second daughter started primary school, I began focusing on my business and creating a niche for my studio specifically in packaging speciality foods; and it’s been a really rewarding adventure so far!
R!WC: How long have you been working in design, and how did you move into packaging design?
Emily: I got my first design job while in college, working at a print shop. I was lucky to learn fair amount of pre-press skills there. After a stint at a boutique studio in Dallas, I got my first real job in San Francisco in 2007. That was a shop well known for packaging, so I got a lot of practice while there. I got to work on Coca Cola, Sprite, and even Metallica! The album I worked on was Death Magnetic, and it actually won a Grammy for Best Album Design. So you could say I got my feet wet! When I went off on my own, I knew I really enjoyed the implicit emotional content of great packaging, so I continued to hone those skills and seek out those kinds of clients when I started my own studio.
R!WC: You have worked with an absolute ton of food and beverage companies to design bags, bottles, wrappers, and develop brand imagery. How did you get into designing for the food and beverage industry?
Emily: As with all things, some luck is involved! In 2010 or so, I happened to meet a design manager at a major natural food company who was on vacation where I was living in Florida. We are still friends to this day! That connection brought me a ton of packaging work, and I was able to build our studio's portfolio in that specific niche. I always tell young designers, “Put your foot in the door, and then put your elbow in the door. Don’t stop until you’re where you want to be.” I’ve built my business this way, by seeing an opportunity and applying all my energy and creativity to seeing it through, one brand after another.
R!WC: What is your process for developing a concept that represents the ethos or mission of a brand?
Emily: There are a few angles I think about when distilling a client’s concept into a brand they can build a company with.
How is it different? Getting to the unique benefit is really, really important.
Who needs it? Speaking to that individual customer in a way they are attracted to is like design ventriloquism. I have to use my client’s voice in every aspect of the design.
What is surprising about it? I really like to find an axis of two ideas that may not usually cross paths and play with those until we have a unique mark that illustrates how the brand is different from competitors.
EMILY’S FAVS
R!WC: What makes for a good designer/client or designer/artist collaboration?
Emily: I love working with entrepreneurs because they’re excited about their products and the outcome of our work matters so much to them. They come to me because they want my expertise, so it’s a relationship built on trust and passion. Timelines can get pretty hairy for entrepreneurs, so if they’re organized and plan for their needs ahead of time, that’s definitely a big plus for me.
R!WC: What is your strategy/philosophy when brainstorming the design concept for a new coffee bag or tin? What are the challenges? What is the fun part?
Emily: I work with a lot of different specialty foods, and what I love about coffee is how simple it is. Almost every coffee is brown bean water, and everyone knows how to use coffee beans. So I have all this room on the packaging to just build a story around the brand, the roaster, and the moment of enjoyment that the customer will have when they taste the product. Coffee is ALL about story, and meeting each coffee brand owner gives me an opportunity to dive into their lives, and come up with a story that fits them, their motivations and goals.
R!WC: Where did the name and your own brand We Are Charette to come from? What is a Charette?
Laura: A Charette is a design process, usually used by architects and city planners, where all the stakeholders get into a room and go through a brainstorming session together. I consider every project collaborative, so this idea resonated for me. I expect my clients to provide a lot of input up front so that we can create something meaningful for them and their products.
R!WC: I read that you are a ukulele-enthusiast and swing dancer. Why the ukulele? What role does music play, if any, in your design process?
Emily: I played flute for years in school but it’s not a very social instrument. You can’t exactly play it around a campfire or while your kids are napping! So I eventually picked up the ukulele because it’s so easy to play, it’s a friendly, happy sound and I can learn a song in one day usually. The work/reward cycle is so quick and enjoyable. I am a very creative person, but I find that I can’t do much visual creativity outside of work, I just get burnt out on it. So instead, I do some music, I might sew something, I can work on a decor project in my house, or I cook for my family. They’re all creative pursuits, but those kinda refill and rehabilitate me after hours of visual design and creative writing.
R!WC: What is something that you've learned about running the business that has surprised you or you've had to learn the hard way?
Emily: It took me a really long time to ask for what a project is really worth. Building a sense of worth and value in myself and the work I provide to clients has been a long, enlightening and rewarding process. I’ve also learned to trust my gut when it comes to starting new business relationships. Not every job is worth my time; and some shrewd business owners will take advantage of a soft-hearted creative person. It can become abusive if it’s a long-lasting business contact. So I’ve learned some healthy boundaries in favor of my time, my health, and my family.
R!WC: How does design create an emotional dialogue?
Emily: Packaging has to be emotionally resonant. If it’s not, nobody will pick it up. A pack has to speak clearly and concisely, and the language is intrinsic and emotional. It has to be exciting / soothing / playful / brave / etc for the right person (the target customer) to pick it up and know what they’re putting their hands on. Once they’re invested, you can pay off that emotional connection with some education (what is it, why do you need it?). But first, you have to connect emotionally.
R!WC: You're [company is] located in Florida, but you've worked with clients from all over. How do you absorb a brand's style or identity if you can't physically visit them?
Emily: It’s a lot of listening to my client and a fair amount of intuition. I naturally create stories around the people I meet, so it’s about getting curious and making sure my assumptions are well educated. I look at communications they’ve done themselves; I talk to them about their dreams for their business. It’s a fairly intimate process. I wear my rose-colored glasses and build some mythology around their lives and their products; then communicate that through the brand we create together.
R!WC: What questions do you ask a new client when brainstorming a new design concept?
Emily: A fun question that I like to ask is, "who is the celebrity spokesperson for this product?” If you can imagine the difference between a coffee brand represented by Nick Offerman versus one represented by Lizzo, you can get the picture about the personality of the brand or who they want to sell to.
R!WC: Was there ever a chance you weren't going to be a graphic designer? If so, what do you think you would be doing instead?
Emily: I would love to try out being a doula one day; birth is totally fascinating to me. And maybe one day I’ll retire from design and work part time at a plant nursery; I love flowers and seeing things grow. If I were to try out another field of design, I would say landscape design would be the medium I would love to explore.
R!WC: Do you drink coffee?
Emily: Every morning! I am a slave to ease and speed of my Nespresso coffee machine. If I’m out though, I'll have a cappuccino.
I’m currently living in Italy; and I must say that Italian coffee is like nothing else I’ve experienced. Smooth, rich, so easy to drink and fantastic flavor.
R!WC: Last question! What is the best piece of advice you’ve received along the way, either about life generally or about your career specifically?
Emily: My dad’s advice: “What you lack in talent, make up for in enthusiasm.” Essentially, every challenge you have can be mitigated with energy and persistence. Showing up with some elbow grease and a good attitude, goes a really, REALLY long way.
CHECK OUT THESE R!WC INDUSTRY PARTNERS
Roastar • Zumbar Coffee & Tea • First Light Coffee Whiskey • Steady State Roasting • Mostra Coffee • Coffee Cycle • Camp Coffee Company • Ignite Coffee Company • Ascend Coffee Roasters • Marea Coffee • Cape Horn Coffee Roasters • Hacea Coffee Source • Crossings Coffee • Acento Coffee
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