Deb Ladwig

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A dream come true for any creative. Evolve an iconic brand. A brand loved my millions around the globe. No pressure. As the lead designer for the project, I got up-close and personal with every curve and angle of the Starbucks logo (a siren) and ensured that she was handled with care every step of the way.

During my tenure at Zulily, I directed multiple seasonal promotions. This involved focused collaboration with cross-functional stakeholders within the company from merchandizing to marketing to public relations. The work needed to be flexible, engaging, and strategic. Whether we were merchandising sneakers beside garden gnomes or a swimsuit next to mixing bowls, it all had to be presented harmoniously in every piece of marketing.

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How do you shop for coffee in a grocery aisle packed with, what seems like, a million options? For this line, we saw an opportunity to showcase coffee to our customers that is both premium and approachable. We enticed consumers through the romance of travel. Each bag had an exotic story to tell and taste appeal to go with it.

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Who hasn’t received a Starbucks gift card from someone? It’s the perfect gift for someone you love or someone you hardly know. You could probably just throw a logo on it and call it a day but, like coffee, Starbucks prefers to put craft into even the simplest of offerings. I was incredibly lucky to direct so many talented designers and illustrators that brought every card to life. Constantly pushing to innovate while staying on brand and striking a chord with customers.

Results

In the year I managed the business the global program topped $4B, shattering the previous record, set the year before.

The retail channel topped $2B loaded on cards for the first time, growing by over $200M YOY.

Card tender rose to nearly 1 in 3 transactions in our stores.

Multiple innovations in stores including first ever paper based cards (Holiday and Mother’s Day), first ever card made of Wood, and B2B Tumbler “Card” (a tumbler that can be used as a card).

The largest single-year expansion of global Card & Loyalty programs in the company’s history: Launched in 7 additional markets.

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It’s January and everyone just spent the last few months indulging in all the desserts, cocktails, and snacks they could get their hands on. Which leads to two options. You could do a hard stop on enjoying yourself or you could treat yourself to something that tastes good without making you feel bad.

The time proceeding the Starbucks holiday season is often where sales see a dip. We gave customers a reason to keep coming in with new non-dairy espresso beverages as well as returning favorites. I directed a team of designers and writers to create a campaign that emphasized the joyfully calm mood of the season.

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Email has come a long way and, at the same time, hasn’t changed a bit. These days, most of us use email as a way to track our purchases and retrieve our long forgotten passwords. The challenge for me and my team was to break through the clutter of email spam to connect with our customers. A daunting task at a time when consumers are shifting their spending habits towards experiences and away from goods.

Zulily was beyond the start-up phase but still a lot of work to do to build brand recognition. I collaborated with marketing stakeholders to prioritize specific characteristics to highlight in all our assets. Zulily is your shopping bestie. The friend that will always tell you about the best sales and knows how hard it can be to shop for all the people in your life. I held myself and the team responsible for ensuring Zulily stayed true to it’s brand.

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If you need coffee, you go to Starbucks. If you want food, you go somewhere else. But wait. What if you could get lunch AND coffee in the same place? I directed the creative team to redesign Starbucks packaged food to embody the brand while showcasing the carefully curated food. Thus enticing customers to stop before they reach the barista and do something somewhat unheard of when visiting Starbucks. The outcome was packaging with labels that were designed to be seen at the lunch table. They were artful, informational, and impactful.

Results

An average of 20% sales increase despite higher prices on many items.

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Engaging with customers in the cafe is something that Starbucks does quite well. They know your name and your order. How do you replicate that engagement outside of the store? How about an addicting yet relaxing game? For this project, we were tasked with partnering with developers and marketers to create a game that not only is fun but also educates. The tone had to be welcoming, not judgy. The interface had to be simple, not overwhelming. The result was a hit that had customers learning more about how to help our planet as well as begging for us to bring it back!

Born and raised in the Pacific Northwest, privately owned, and nestled in the misty highlands outside Seattle. Talking Rain Beverage Company started with one product in 1987 and has since expanded to Sparkling Ice, AQA, and Popwell with plans to launch more. The company needed a refresh that could stand on its own or be paired with any of its product offerings. I directed my team to reimagine the brand to be bold, scalable, and memorable while maintaining the intent and tone of the original. I collaborated with executive leadership to develop a brand refresh that suited the present and future needs of the company. The result is very much grounded in the company’s origin (Preston, WA) and modernized to suit both traditional and modern media.

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Pair a well known brand with a large, fast-paced, foreign city and you get the opportunity to create some incredibly unique merchandise. I had to be nimble and decisive in order to be on top of a culture that was constantly looking for and expecting something new. I managed a team of designers and writers to create products ranging from gold track jackets to puffy stickers to coffee mugs. I coordinated with multiple stakeholders to produce and launch collections multiple time zones away.

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At a time when consumers are finding music by sifting through the internet instead of down the record store aisle, finding ways to grab their attention is quite the creative task. The design needs to be unique, tactile, and covetable. I directed a variety of designers to channel their love for music into well crafted and expressive CD packaging.

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Starbucks was actually the underdog for this launch. Many smaller and some bigger brands had already established a strong customer base. There was no way Starbucks would be able to rely on the Siren to do all the work for this. The package needed to be custom and approachable. The label needed to be modern and classic.

After the single serve bottle carved out space in the market, my team and I expanded the platform to multi-serve and concentrate varieties as well as versions for China and Korea.

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Starbucks doesn’t just bring people together with coffee. Sometimes it happens with a nostalgic game or delightful gif stickers. Much like your favorite barista, they make you smile and brighten your day. I worked with multiple creative teams to find the sweet spot between promotional and playful for all concepts.

Illustration is a playful, flexible and impactful medium of communication. Being visually concise, illustrations provide immediate recognition, make complex things easier to understand, build trust, and are effortlessly memorable.

In 2022, I initiated and brought to life a refresh of the Zulily brand illustration style. I directed a team of talented and skillful designers and copywriters to define a style that feels playful, energized, confident, while also being inclusive to all customers.

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This may be a small product but what it lacks in size it more than makes up for in volume. You can find these on most convenient store shelves in Japan, Korea, and China as well as at many grocery stores across Europe and the Middle East. I directed every designer and writer to consider the diverse markets in order to set Starbucks apart from aggressive competitors. I maintained close relationships with our partners in all foreign markets to ensure a smooth process and consistent brand presence.

RESULTS

Japan: Managed the design of two of the most successful chill cup launches in Japan. In 2012, Frappuccino had the highest first day sales in recent Japan RTD history and over 20,000 Likes on Facebook in less than 24 hours. In 2015, Sakura Lattè revitalized business and increased shelf share by 50%. Amazing feat in a highly competitive category ($15B).

China: Chill Cups launched in June 2018 in 16 cities and over 10,000 stores. More than 2 million cups sold in 6 weeks, achieving 3.2% market share. In convenience stores, the chill cup launch achieved 6.4% market share and is now the #3 RTD coffee brand.

Chances are, you have seen Sparkling Ice in your local grocery store. Chances are, you have enjoyed a bottle or two. Chances are, you couldn’t name the product by name only by the bottle shape. It is the drink in the “tall, skinny bottle” and it was time to be more than just that. It was time to become a memorable and beloved brand. I worked with executive leadership and ownership to give Sparkling Ice a much needed update. I directed a team of designers to evolve the logo, packaging, illustration style, and color palette.

The refreshed label prominently positions a bold, clean, and more modern-looking Sparkling Ice logo above the familiar fruit-filled ice cube. The new design is optimized to promote brand recognition, improve visibility on the shelf, and boost relevance with target consumers.