About Us
We’re a boutique creative studio helping retail & e-commerce brands to achieve more clarity, confidence and conversions.
When it comes to your brand, we understand how important it is to find a partner that not only gets your vision, but who can also bring real-world experience to find solutions that are both beautiful and effective. We meet you where you are and help you put your best foot forward for the next step in your brand journey.
photos: smart planner co. – our retail brand
our retail story
We grew our own e-commerce brand from $0 to $1.5m+ in 4 years with no loans or investors, and then we sold it.
When we first started our retail brand in 2018, we had no prior experience in retail but were excited to learn. Starting with a tiny initial investment of $1500 towards inventory, over the course of the next 4 years we would learn through trial and error the strategies, tools and tricks to help us scale to a seven-figure, best-selling, award-winning, multinational brand, and then to negotiate the successful sale of the company in 2022.
product designs
units sold
five star reviews
countries operated in
Forbes best planner
years from start to sale
Why Commerce Culture?
What Makes Us Different
01. Experience
Where most creative agencies have front-facing expertise creating visuals for their clients, we have hands-on experience running our own proof-of-concept, from market fit research and product development to daily operations and successful exit.
We understand what it’s like to actually run a retail brand, and we know a thing or two about what actually sells (hint: it’s often not what you think or what your coach is telling you).
02. Psychology
The way humans think and make decisions influences all of our buying behaviors. Beneath all of our designs and swoon-worth visuals is a carefully laid foundation of psychological principals, market research and consumer behavioral trends.
Our proprietary, strategical approach is founded on Jungian psychological archetypes mixed with firsthand experience and feedback from real consumers in your target audience.
03. Innovation
When you invest in branding, you want a visual experience that will last you for years, not just until the next design trend. Beyond beautiful, it needs to be effective, timeless and most importantly – to stand out on the shelf (or these days, on the social feed).
Effective brand identities and designs are tailored to your unique positioning, emotional appeal, consumer values and brand story. We don’t follow trends – we defy them.
04. Sustainability
The modern consumer is increasingly discerning about the material quality, production ethics and social initiatives of retail brands. Conscious business practices are no longer a differential, but a baseline.
We help retail brands identify the right social and environmental initiatives for their product line, from green packaging to partnerships with NGOs and more, and then we incorporate these initiatives into your brand storytelling.
Behind the scenes
About the Founder
Kelsey is an award-winning designer, entrepreneur and retail enthusiast. She has 8+ years experience working with top-level organizations, brands and celebrities around the world to elevate their brand presence across a variety of mediums. She was named to the Forbes Next 1000 for her work on Smart Planner, her e-commerce brand that she sold in 2022, and has been featured in Nasdaq, Business Insider, Create & Cultivate, Brit + Co, Awwwards, Authority Mag and more.
Bringing a unique perspective of the intersection of form and function, her approach to design combines psychology, archetypes and market data with her extensive firsthand experience in retail e-commerce. She currently lives in Brazil, splitting her time between São Paulo and her eco farm hotel in Goiás.
“My mission is to help the trailblazers of tomorrow, those determined to challenge the status quo, make a difference in the world, work and adventure on their own terms, and live to do what they’ve been told is impossible.”
Case Study
Innersense Organic Beauty
What power does color selection have on product perception and shelf appeal? How can white space be used to convey brand values? How can you effectively refresh a brand identity for an established brand while maintaining its essence?
These are the questions we set out to answer and implement in our brand refresh collaboration with the industry’s leading clean hair care brand.