This week is Out Of Focus 2025, our company retreat where we all take a week off to travel from all over the country and come together in person and rest as a team. The Focus Lab team is 100% remote, which means many of us spend a lot of time in the trenches of Zoom and use Figma hotkeys like it’s our second language.
This year we’ll be in the Great Smoky Mountains of Tennessee. For some, rest might mean relaxing with a book at the quiet cabins; for others it might be going for long hikes or riding rollercoasters at the world-famous Dollywood. But no emails, no messages, no work — our team is encouraged to rest in whatever shape or form that means to them. This is why teammates who are unable to attend still receive the entire week off as a paid holiday.
The result? The ROI?
Well we can’t measure “joy,” nor should we try. But we know the team-wide happiness, camaraderie, fun, and gratitude that comes out of this event is always invaluable. Wherever you are, I hope you find some time to pause and celebrate this year.
Stay inspired,
Creative Director
L I N K R O U N D U P
1.Marathon Art Style Breakdown From our own Stetson Finch in Slack, “Over the weekend, I came across this video that discusses the art style for a new game coming out called Marathon. It's a fascinating breakdown of the design team's process, how they've defined the art style, their inspirations, etc.
Beyond the fact that it's just a cool video to watch, it's also a masterclass in presenting and speaking to creative work.”
2. Are Rebrands Starting To Look the Same? In a constant quest for differentiation, this article highlights the inherent paradox we’re up against. “Rebrands that resemble one another aren’t necessarily using similar visual treatments because they’re trendy; rather, their trendiness is proof of their effectiveness.” The ubiquitous techy blue is effective for accessibility compliance, and brushy illustrations can be executed quickly by different illustrators. “​​To craft truly unique ideas that stand the test of time, one must focus only on tailoring solutions to the problem's exact nature.” And sometimes that solution may be restrained and familiar.
3. The Power of Brand Books in a Digital-First World Our brand guideline deliverables live in Figma, which comes with plenty of benefits: painless to update, smoother transition from guidelines to UI, minimal cost. Still, there is something magical about a printed brand book. “It's a moment frozen in time, celebrating the energy and vision of a team while charting a course for the future.” Until a client scopes a brand book, we’ll continue to ogle Mohawk’s Maker Quarterly.
4. What the Industry Gets Wrong About In-House Writing Papier’s Copy Lead Jennie Watson shares what she wishes she knew earlier: “When you start your career, it can feel like you’re supposed to stay in your lane. Junior writers look after the writing, and junior designers do the designing. But with time and experience, you learn that the words and pictures are such a marriage.”
Self-described “designy illustrator,” Mikey Burton is giving us some affirmations we needed to hear in his “Manifesto for the Aging Creative v1.” We also love his Pile O’ Prints offering, a “handpicked pile of printed ephemera.” When your feed is jam-packed with AI image prompts, a hand-printed piece with authentic ink smear feels like a true treasure.
N O W H I R I N G
The folks (đź‘‹) that make sure these job postings are still live are on retreat, too. Job postings will return in our next In Focus bulletin.
Popl went from viral TikTok hardware to enterprise B2B SaaS and needed their brand to reflect their evolution. In our latest Debrief, Bill Kenney sits down with Jason Alvarez Coen, CEO and co-founder of Popl, and Bryce Alston, VP of Marketing, to relive Popl's transformation.
Animoto Case Study To support their move upmarket, we partnered closely with the drag-and-drop video editor to build a bold, cohesive brand that reflected their creative spirit and growing ambition.
A few of our best and brightest put their heads together to identify and diagnose the most common brand challenges we come across in our work. In two minutes and nine questions, we’ll help you determine your brand problem and, more importantly, give you resources to help fix it.
F O L L O W U S
Focus Lab, 60 Exchange St., Ste C3 PMB 289, Richmond Hill, GA 31324
