Because there's no such thing as one size fits all

We traded a management layer for an unprecedented number of design, technology, and product strategy experts who remain hands-on along every step of the project.

Principals on site

You can expect to see fewer presentations and more actual work. Strategizing at scale is challenging enough without investing excessive hours in creating one-off presentations.

Zero big reveals

The majority of our revenue comes from years-long relationships with repeat clients. We partner with them to create long-term roadmaps while extending and optimizing their digital platforms.

In it for the long run

Our philosophy on approach

Philosophy Section

"I was blown away by their capability to quickly provide value. Their skills are so broad, but they're also deeply knowledgeable, so they've truly driven change in our company and users."

Stages Marquee

We see moments of change as opportunities, and brand as the tool you need to make the most of them.

Making the most of moments of change

We bring the years, global experience, and stamina to guide our clients through new and often disruptive realities.

Leverage disruptive realities at hand

We have seen change influence many new and established businesses. In different industries, under different circumstances.

Sustainable returns on investment

Approach

Approach Overview Section

New businesses, startups, and ventures looking for a kickstart

Established brands introducing & developing new products

Begin

Brands looking to grow in value, reach, and bottom line

Using, developing, and introducing resources to maximize value

Rise

Brands looking to acclimate to a new competitive landscape.

Brands looking to enter new realities & repositioning for the long term.

Renew

Stage Listings

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Blind Dog Coffee partnered with us to develop their new brand identity and packaging system centered around community and brewed with core values instilled by founder Mark Berry.

Rebrand and packaging for a community-focused coffee roaster

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The Virgil coworking and events venue wanted to make luxury accessible. Commence created the venue’s brand identity and website with community-oriented elegance. Now The Virgil has become a hub for collaboration.

The Virgil – Coworking Space Identity and Website Design

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Video: Mobile Scrolling

Landing Page (Still)

Video: Start, Fix & Grow Interactions

Expressive identity system, interactive web design and development for Vast - a consulting group offering financial expertise and virtual accounting services to small businesses, primarily in the food i

Identity, Web Design & Development

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From their beginning, we’ve helped Covered across all levels of their brand and product: comprehensive brand identity, web development, illustration, and UI. Based in Denver, Colorado, their mission is focused on simplifying the insurance process.

Web Design and Development

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Charming packaging design for the Italian olive oil company producing organic and non-gmo ingredients, that illustrates traditional and quality values.

Organic olive oil packaging with an Italian origin

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Animation

Team

Mockups

MessageDesk is a connection-driven messaging company servicing small businesses and teams based in Reno, NV.  

The company came to us for the redesign of their brand identity, website design, strategy, and illustrations.

Putting the message in brand messaging

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A strong and bold identity system developed for a fitness gym dedicated to their community, bringing an inclusive atmosphere to the Northern California area.

Building a stronger fitness community

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BBQ sauce; Barnacle logo w wave

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Labels

Rhubarb Jam rotating web

Business Cards & Boxes

Food Photos

Sauce Photos

Rebranding, illustration, packaging and web development for the sustainably-driven Barnacle Foods, bringing locally harvested ingredients to Alaska and beyond.

Rebranding Alaskan kelp based foods with scalable packaging

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Institutional identity and web development for the K-12 public charter school in the Bronx, New York, that draws on the extraordinary, forward-thinking vision the school executes.

Bold in the Bronx

Interactive Web Animations Video Loop

Sierra Well was the first cannabis dispensary in Reno, NV, and their eyes are set on continuing to lead the way. Sierra Well approached Commence to help create a modern website and online store for their patients and customers.

Cannabis culture in the digital space

Lid illustrations

Transparent Product Photos

Gravallese Co. came to us to create their brand identity, packaging design, website, and product photography centered around the refinement of traditional grooming products and self-care. Winning best brand packaging awards regionally and nationally.

Italian Heritage Brand & Grooming Products

Companies Page Interactions (Video)

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Homepage (Video)

Page Transitions (Video)

A diversified growth equity and advisory firm with a storied history of success, Cingulate Group came to Commence for their unique brand identity and website development.

Brand identity for the leading global investment group

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Black Rabbit Mead Co. partnered with us to create a brand identity and packaging system for their mead. Although their product is produced with honey, they make a significantly less sweet mead than other traditional varieties. It was a goal of ours to carry over this idea to a less sweet, more eerie, and regal look for their brand.

Down the Rabbit Hole Packaging Design

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33% details

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33% food photography

We knew the Zero Hospitality Group had something up their sleeves when they told us they were turning an old mechanic garage into a family-style restaurant in an upcoming neighborhood for Reno, NV. After a few branding and positioning exercises, we landed on Von Bismarck together. We were honored to be brazen with the brand across the architectural revival with historically themed typography, menu and web design, as well as food photography. 

Branding German Hospitality

We're always up for a challenge. When Bombadil approached us to help them build a Lord of the Rings-inspired flower brand, we were more than up for it! It goes without saying, we have a passion for building corporate brands but love to roll our sleeves up and have a little fun as well. 

Fantastical Flowers

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tear sheet

Them Duqaines came to us for artwork and design for their studio album ‘The Story of the Moral’. We illustrated the story told across the track list and brought the honky tonk characters to life through CDs, custom vinyl design, and merchandise. We tip our hat to these folks.

Story of the Moral Album Art

Barnacle Foods challenged us to create a new label for their Bullwhip Kelp hot sauce that reflects their personality and helps pull in new customers. Originally the Bullwhip woman was supposed to be a salty older gentleman, but after meeting the women-led team at Barnacle, it was clear we had an opportunity for more accurate representation. After releasing the new packaging, the product became a best seller and is featured on Patagonia Provisions.

Bullwhip Hot Sauce

A simple and intriguing branding and web project we did for StreamNative.

Branding and Web Design

We love working with the Magpie team just as much as we enjoy their coffee. If you've ever stopped by, purchased a bag of their delicious coffee, or met any of the amazing staff working there, then you already know what we're talking about. When they approached us to give their packaging a new refresh from the old packaging we created, it goes without saying, we were over the moon. 

Going Minimalist

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Being a group of creative professionals, its only natural to be fueled by caffeine and cold brews. Coffeebar is a supplier of just that— not to mention wine, baked treats, good times and great memories with even greater friends. At the start of Summer 2017 when Coffeebar was gearing up to open their 5th location we began a partnership to achieve an enhanced social presence and build a brand new website in preparation for the much-anticipated arrival in Silicon Valley.

Un Vero Gusto Italiano

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Time to celebrate. Patagonia has hit the 20 year mark at their Upper West Side shop. We worked together with the Patagonia NYC team to create some custom illustration and tears sheets for this anniversary. Being in the ‘business to save our home planet,’ Patagonia has worked with dozens of different environmental non-profits in the NYC area the last 2 decades, so we wanted this project to tell that story and depict the history of the area.

The Freedom & The Escape

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Through re-imagining organic produce in a box, we started creating an enticing and environmentally progressive identity for the Fresh Future Box; the aquaponics solution to the end of the Farmer's Market season. Whether it’s spicy peppers, rich butter greens, or plum tomatoes, we made sure we incorporated all elements of sweet sweet sustainability. Ensuring that they sacrificed nothing when it came to authentically representing their brand promise, we created their brand so it was replete with natural elements and vibrant visuals.

The Future of Community Supported Agriculture

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Lorable is a storytelling app developed by the Northern Nevada based startup to engage both readers and writers with interactive plot building. Through strategic branding, material design, and clarified theming, we helped create an app experience that is engaging and easy to explore.

A Story Worth Sharing Through UX

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Dayton Valley Aquaponics partnered with us to create a brand that represented their bio-fueled take on farming that provides fresh produce year round in the High Desert of Nevada

Rethinking Produce through Aquaponics

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As much as we love doing work for our clients, we also love doing work for our planet. In conjunction with Patagonia Action Works, we designed and implemented a mural that spanned across three of Patagonia’s vast windows. The imagery and statements were chosen to bring awareness to the fracking threat that would damage the Ruby Mountains’ landscape and habitat in search for oils and fuel. The Rubies are not only full of beauty and popular for recreation, but are also Te-Moak ancestral homelands and a place that many magnificent animals call home. We stand with the thousands of people who have already raised their voices against destroying this iconic landscape. With Patagonia’s immense following and a little paint, we hope to make a big difference for the future of Nevada’s Ruby Mountains.

Defend the Rubies

First impressions can be everything. We worked alongside the wonderful team at Whitmore to design a purely unique brand identity and a rich, illustrative unboxing experience to leave a lasting impression on their customers.

It's All About the Experience

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We like a good whiskey. Especially when it’s smoked and made of the finest quality ingredients just down the way from our Reno studio. We revived the Forsaken River brand with a new visual identity and family of packaging, including wood veneer engraved labels.

Rye Patch Whiskey Wooden Label

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The surf lifestyle and merchandise company Worldwide Nation partnered with us to create designs and illustrations for their first season of apparel. Inspired by the desire for surfers to be more connected.

Uniting Surfers

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When you love what you do, whether it be cooking, woodwork, home improvement, or even sewing you can’t help but want to shout it from the rooftops. Our San Francisco (also Brazilian and Italian) friends at Craftlog make it easy for you to not only share your projects with others, but find new projects to fall in love with. Featuring a flexible user interface, user experience, and well crafted interaction design, we’ve worked hard with our long-term partners-in-craft to make an app that's so easy to use even your mom can make your family recipes live on forever.

A Platform for Passion

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Having longtime connections with Southern Australia, our good friends at Orange Roasting Co had dreamed up yet another game-changing idea: Remy & Max. Keeping the context of bar & coffee syrups in mind, we designed packaging, branding, and a solid identity to follow suite alongside liquor bottles. As well, a packaging design that benefited the server more than the customer.

Coffee Packaging from Down Under

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For the love of waves and oceans! Patagonia has impacted the surf industry silently, but successfully. Our goal was to share their progress in a full page advertisement spread in Surfer Magazine, utilizing a timeline that would guide the viewer through each milestone.

We're Out To Change The Industry

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Summer Collection Product Video

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Honey + Goldies handcrafts unique and irreplaceable pieces. She wanted a website that reflected the simplicity, variety, and beauty of her one-of-a-kind craft. Starting from a simple, elegant color scheme, we worked with Honey and Goldies to create a stunning eCommerce website that incorporates detailed illustrations, awesome photography, custom product pages, and tailored back-end functionality. The combination of hard work, collaboration, and a handful of diamonds, creates nothing less than a result that sparkles as bright as the gems it exhibits.

Chiseled with Charm

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RetroRocket Coffee is a purely web based coffee brand that has it all. Starting from step one, we created the color palette, brand, packaging and website for this intuitive company. Packed full of space exploration references, sweeping design and unique web experiences, you'll want to know every detail of the rise of RetroRocket.

Launch The Day 

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It is no secret that we love to work with cannabis companies. So naturally, creating an identity and packaging system for the Alaska-based concentrate connoisseur Matanuska Apothecary was a perfect fit.

Alaskan Cannabis Dispensary Branding

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As a company founded in skate culture (pour one out for all the times we've hit the pavement literally and figuratively), Environment was one of the original partners in creativity for Laxalt & McIver. With custom illustration and graphic design, we helped grow Environment's brand through art directed skate decks and tear sheets filled with graphics far cooler than any kick flip.

Environment Skateboards

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Some of the most rewarding partnerships we've had have come through working with people as wild as we are. Meet Deso, a lifestyle apparel brand that embraces the art of getting lost. We collaborated with them to tell their stories from #wayoutthere through graphic design, custom illustration and tear sheets. Grab some gear, go on an adventure, and tell us your story - or don't... some stories are kept between you and the wilderness.

Spend a Week In The Woods

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With close Nevada ties - it’s hard not to find ourselves passionate about the land that we live on. For this partnership, we collaborated with Patagonia Action Works to create a design that best captured the land of the Gold Butte National Monument. Through t-shirts, postcards, and a mural spanning all of the windows at Patagonia’s Reno location -- we were able to help make a lasting impact.

Defending Public Lands

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As the first major retailer to move into downtown in over 30 years, West Elm moving to Reno was a big deal! We were hired to produce the identity for their Hello Reno Grand Opening campaign and create assets for the WE:Local program.

Reviving Retail in Reno

Our approach - Commence Studio® is a bespoke research and design firm ... We craft purposeful brands, products, and eCommerce experiences that turn conscious values into company value. We collaborate with large & small companies that we can inspire to change the world.

"The new website’s interactive features have significantly streamlined the steps necessary for securing customer purchases."

Renew