Twenty-One Years

Sanders design consultancy, based in Cardiff,specialises in the creation and developmentof powerful brands. Our studio of talented designers offers decadesof combined experience in the design of product,branding and packaging. This puts us in a rareposition to provide consistency throughout abrand, from conception to completion. The last two decades have given us a large and varied portfolio to choose from when creating this book. The following selection is a fraction of our work, chosen because each case study means something to us as individuals or as a business. As a whole, they illustrate the breadth of our experience. The projects are shown in a loosely chronological order, beginning with our earliest work, and running through our development as a studio. We’re 21 years old this year, a little greyer, a littlewiser, but still relishing every moment. We hopeyou enjoy this book as much as we’ve enjoyedworking on these projects.

Branding

Product design

3D Printing

Engineering

Web design

Packaging

Copywriting

Print

Introduction

Julian Sanders_When clients come to us, they are usually looking for a solution to a problem. The problem could be the loss of market share to a competitor, or how to present a new product, process or technology to the end consumer in a clear, coherent and attractive way.

At Sanders, we are absolutely passionate about offering good, considered design solutions. Whether that be a piece of exceptional packaging on the supermarket shelf, the design of a beautifully well-engineered product, or simply a stunning piece of corporate literature.

It’s an approach that brings a positive commercial impact to our clients many times over.

We are a multidisciplinary team, meaning that we have highly skilled product, graphic and packaging designers all operating within one studio. This enables us to provide a seamless and comprehensive service to the companies we work with.

_Julian Sanders, founder and director of Sanders

It’s a serious business, but that doesn’t mean to say that it shouldn’t be an enjoyable and highly rewarding one for both parties. We work extremely hard to ensure that we build good strong working relationships with all our clients. It’s one reason for not employing account handlers. We prefer that you build the relationship with, and talk to, the person creating the design for you.

Our ‘home’ is a purpose-designed open plan studio based on the fringes of Cardiff Bay - one of Europe’s largest dockland developments. It’s only 10 minutes from the M4 meaning that we have great access to the rest of the UK.

Enjoy!

The early days

Julian founded Sanders, originally under the name of Studio SDA, in 1991, whilst working in the industry and lecturing in Product Design at Cardiff Metropolitan University. Housed in the Maltings, a venerable old building at the heart of the Cardiff Bay docklands, the business first worked on a project for Sony Professional Broadcast.

Sanders soon outgrew the Maltings and moved to its current home, a purpose-designed studio space just a little down the road. Today, Cardiff Bay is a very different creature to the beast it once was, with its bars, restaurants and specialist markets. You will also find there the Wales Millennium Centre and the Senedd (seat of the Welsh Government). Julian knew exactly how he wanted the new space to feel and it’s still an inspiring place to work.

These days Sanders has on staff three product designers and three branding, graphics and packaging designers, as well as a management team. Rarely will you find a consultancy that offers such a range of design and branding services under one roof, all working in synergy.

Julian grew up in Bristol. His first love was fine art, but his ‘light bulb’ moment came when he attended a lecture from Ross Kinneir of Kinneir Dufort. It was the first time that it really occurred to him that people sit down and decide what things look like, and make a living from doing so. He could use his imagination and skills to design beautiful objects that people might want to buy.

He holds a degree in Industrial Design Engineering from Leeds and a post-grad in Product Design from Manchester, a period in which he was shaped by the Memphis movement and had Bill Moggridge, grandfather of British design, as external assessor. He has worked at a number of consultancies and has thirty years of experience in the design industry.

_Right: The Maltings , Cardiff

Product Design

Product design is one of the core disciplines at the heart of what we do here. Beauty of form and function is what gets us excited, and between us we have decades of experience that we bring to bear on every project that we undertake.

Our archive contains extensive case studies spanning a diverse range of industries: everything from kitchenware to audio equipment, bathroom fittings to wheelchairs. Many products we have prototyped and tested in-house.

Our award winning designs and long-standing relationships with prestigious clients and household names speak for themselves.

_Left: Style Moderne, Samuel Heath.

Branding

Your business is your branding. Who you are, what you stand for, your history, values, ethos and personality are what set you apart from your competitor. Your branding should reflect all of this. It is, after all, the most immediate way in which you communicate with your customer and encourage them to make the choice to invest in you rather than your competitor. Choosing to invest in branding is a positive affirmation of the confidence you have in your business.

Creating an intelligent, cohesive and engaging corporate identity is key to the success of a brand. A standard misconception is that ‘branding’ equates to ‘logo’.

Effective branding is multi-layered and relies on the synergy between a number of elements, any one of which can potentially come to command such powerful consumer recognition that it can become the key signifier of a company. Some brands are inextricably linked with a certain typography, colour, image, shape or strap-line. Consistency is everything.

Packaging

Being functional and fit for purpose is clearly vital, but packaging is an increasingly active and sophisticated sales tool. A product will be lost in the maelstrom of the modern marketplace without due consideration to how it is packaged.

Prominence of branding means that packaging becomes a manifestation of a company’s personality and values, making it a key player in winning over consumers from a competitor.

Consideration to colour, finish and materials is important, as well as the structural side; form and shape often become strongly associated with a particular product.

Effective packaging needs to consider function, usage, the consumer and their lifestyle. It needs to incorporate the brand identity, and in some cases, to transcend the expected; packaging that offers something more, that has value in its own right, that can be displayed with pride, offers the consumer an opportunity to make a statement about their lifestyle and aspirations.

People

The people that work here make Sanders what it is. We have a strong team, and several of our number have been with the company for the best part of fifteen years. Our designers are at the top of their game, with many years of experience under their belts.

The team are all highly qualified, giving us a combination of skills covering branding, product design, visuals and graphics, packaging, copy writing, the technical and manual aspects of design, the old-school and the new.

Together we can take the kernel of an idea, design it, test it, make it, brand it, package it and help promote it. We’re lucky enough to work on projects that excite and inspire us every day. We’re proud of what we do.

Studio

The Sanders studio is housed in an airy and inspirational purpose-designed space on the fringes of Cardiff Bay.

Motionworks

Good house keeping

Tellermate

Lakeland

Dcs

Palmer

Procter Bros

Samuel HeathXenon

Samuel HeathFairfield

Kenwood

Screwpull

Brush Doctor

Elia International

Wedgwood

John Lewis

Vista Alegre

DKBZyliss

DKBCole & Mason

DKBCole & Mason

Chromogenex

Stellar

Core Culture

ImmanuelAurora

Kitchen Pro

Good design adds value faster than it adds cost.

Good design adds value faster than it adds cost.

Julian Sanders

The Welsh Pantry

The Welsh Pantry

Peter’s

Douglas Willis

Performance Health Care

Boulders

The Abergavenny Fine Food Co.

Slim Gym

Scrumshus

Pembrokeshire Pasty Co

SATISFY YOUR CRAVING.

Sing and Inspire

Green Oil

The future

Our industry has changed massively during the past 21 years andour business has had to respond accordingly. Whilst technologycontinues to create ever greater efficiencies in time, cost and effectiveness, we hold true to the foundation principles and skills that have always defined us. Where will our business be in another 21 years? Who knows.What we can be sure of is that the way we as human beingsrespond to and interact with products or brands on a physicaland emotional level won’t change. There will always be a need for people to be engaged, delighted and inspired by thephysical world around them. We love what we do and derive huge satisfaction from workingAlong side businesses, employing the skills we have to enablethem to realise their ambitions. If they take the credit, that’s fine by us. We’re quite happy to bathe in the reflected glory. We have no great ambitions to grow the business in terms ofhead count. Our aim is to concentrate on calling ourselves and our clients to achieve ever greater goals. And as long as we’re enjoying the creative process, inspiringour clients and driving them on to ever greater heights, then I suspect we will still be here. Hopefully you’ve enjoyed this snapshot of what we’ve been doing for the last 21 years. We’ve certainly enjoyed working on these projects and forging relationships with the fantastic people behind them. Here’s to the next 21... Sanders

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