Cookie cutters are a simple product, yet Ann Clark’s goals were complex when I joined the team at the creative director. This Vermont-based company was at a pivotal stage with an objective to grow from a small gift business into a leading manufacturer of cookie cutters.
I was thrilled to be a part of this recipe for success. The company grew 1,000% over 7 years and became America’s largest cookie cutter manufacturer.
My role during that time was to synchronously evolve the brand and grow the company with new products — balancing a cheerful, heartwarming product with a competitive global market.
The design process began with an exploration of Ann Clark’s foundations, outlining the most important pillars of the company.
The new brand would better reflect what Ann Clark had always been — a company that believes in tradition. 1) The joyful tradition of making cookies. 2) The tradition of Ann Clark, the founder. 3) The tradition of creating a quality product made in the USA.
The new brand and logo design prioritizes Ann Clark’s traditional pillars and features its most important audience — families and home bakers.
Creative work included translating company objectives into compelling visual concepts.
Through visual storytelling, we implemented new creative concepts, transforming this simple kitchen utensil into the brand’s narrative about the joy of baking cookies, an unsurpassed quality, and the warmth of spending family time together baking.
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Winter holidays are the obvious season for baking, however, one of the company’s goals was to expand cookie-making to all seasons. I was tasked with developing new designs and more efficient strategies for R&D.
My work included researching top trends and collaborating inter-departmentally with die-making, engineering, marketing, and sales —successfully launching hundreds of new cookie-cutter designs and exceeding company goals.
New products created engagement and increased media impressions. We developed close partnerships with professional bakers and cookie decorators as Ann Clark’s brand ambassadors.
I managed the design and development of new product lines including Ann Clark’s mini cookie cutters, boxed gift sets, a Designer Collection of whimsical shapes in collaboration with professional bakers, and grew the existing product lines with new trends in cookie decorating.
With a growing e-commerce market, video was the next strategic step for expanding Ann Clark’s brand online.
I collaborated with professional baker, LilaLoa, to create “Cookies Made Simple” featuring easy decorating tips — educating customers for successful cookie decorating and synchronously growing Ann Clark’s rankings.
“As creative director, Denise recognized that our brand was aging. She reinvented our new brand and packaging — that was the critical foundation we needed. This new Ann Clark brand has allowed us to grow from a small niche market into an international brand with multiple product lines.”