When someone in a movie says “the walls can hear you,” they’re usually talking about bugs, hidden tools used to spy on someone and record what they’re saying.
Spoiler alert: this is not a spy movie. But as Infantree’s copywriting intern, I have made it my mission to become the “bug.” To listen to everyone and everything. To soak up as much information as possible in the short amount of time I have access to the knowledge and insight each team member provides.
As a copywriting intern, words are my main focus, so it’s no surprise that I am happy to listen to my coworkers as much as possible. That’s why I jumped at the chance to sit down with different team members and get a better grasp of what goes on in a branding agency beyond the writing work I’ve been tasked with.
Amanda Weir has been a UI designer for Infantree since 2023, but has been working in the design industry since 2019.
What has been your favorite project to work on at Infantree as a UI designer?
Lancaster County Community Foundation’s 100 year campaign site was my favorite. The design was fresh, fun, and bold. I was able to create a microsite, which gives more control over the site design versus huge sites that need to use blocks that work for tons of different types of content. Microsites can work for specific curation, background elements, interesting design elements, bold type, and bold color.
A microsite is a super simple website that is only a few pages max. We were able to adopt themes from LCCF’s main site while rearranging sections to display the unique identity that we created for the campaign.
We were limited to some extent—we had to work within the existing framework—but what we created fit the campaign really well. We had a lot of creative freedom with this one. A lot of awesome development work went into the site to make it look amazing.
Was there any particular reason why this project left a lasting impression?
LCCF is pouring a lot into the community, and it’s cool to work on something you know is helping people and is a community effort. They have been doing initiatives where they bring lunch to offices and explain LCCF and who they are. They came to our office and it was interesting to get insight into clients that I do not usually get. LCCF emphasizes giving to people, helping people determine what they want to do with inheritance or creating foundations to set up in someone’s name. It is unique work.
Do you have a second favorite project?
Another microsite, Trolley Line, is probably my second favorite project. It started off as a one-page website, and then they eventually wanted to do a more complete microsite.
Trolley Line is an ecommerce site, and we had freedom with the product display pages. We were able to take something from start to finish where the end product really reflected the brand visually. There are a lot of fun interactions there that you do not always have options to do when there are 100 products to enter.
Blake Embree has been a senior designer for Infantree since 2021 and has three years of senior design experience before joining the team.
What has been your favorite project to work on at Infantree as a senior designer?
Relik was one that aesthetically and philosophically felt like it came together in a really strong visual language. Relik’s use of photography as a primary supportive element gave it a really experiential feel. Part of the brief was to have a brand that felt anchored in the natural beauty and strength of nature, and its use in traditional building techniques. I felt like the client and our team were really aligning in how that aesthetic would come together in an ethereal but structural way.
Anomalie also felt like we were able to make a really specific translation of the philosophy of the company into a visual identity. The fact that we were able to clearly communicate the idea of speed and innovative processes in the sprinting jackalope icon felt like a big win. And the use of unusually unpolished photography gave it a really distinctive personality as well.
LampHouse was one that really felt like the client wanted us to lean into our ideas that may have felt too risky for other clients. Part of the brief was to develop a kinetic identity system that had a lot of adaptable parts so they would have a wide toolbox or elements to use across film, print, and web assets. It was really fun to think through not only how a brand looked, but how it behaved and moved.
I think the common thread in all three is that there was an alignment between our team and the client, and a sense of trust that went both ways. They had a clear vision for what made their company distinctive, and came to the table open to how that was interpreted into a visual identity.
Taylor Ungureanu has been a designer for three years and has been a part of the Infantree team since 2022.
What has been your favorite project to work on at Infantree as a designer?
My favorite project has been our archetype cards, which was a project for Infantree. With their permission, we redesigned Chen’s archetype deck to give it more of an Infantree look and feel. It was a lot of creative freedom and something kind of out of my comfort zone.
It was a really long project—I’ve never worked on something for that long. It was a lot of learning during the process. There were a lot of photoshop techniques I was unfamiliar with, but I have grown my skills because of that specific project, which has helped me be better equipped to help our clients on their projects. It was fun to be given the Infantree brand and work with that brand while also giving it my own style.
Liz Canavesi has been an account manager for Infantree since 2022 and has over ten years of experience in workflow management.
What has been your favorite project to work on at Infantree as an Account Manager?
Lancaster County Community Foundation has been one of my favorite clients to work with. Infantree has worked with them for over ten years, and I have been working with them since I joined three years ago. We have been able to evolve their brand and have it reflect the organization they have become by influencing them on an ongoing basis, which doesn’t always happen in the world of graphic design and branding.
What they do for our community has a big impact. LCCF does so much for our community in so many different aspects that even our own community doesn’t even realize their big impact.
What do you focus on from an account standpoint to help this project continue to run smoothly?
The people I get to work with at LCCF are really lovely, and they value what we bring to the table. We have created a beautiful friendship and a marriage of two companies working together. My main focus is to maintain the brand’s strategy while our team works on different deliverables. For example, I help the web team stay consistent and keep them in line with the LCCF brand strategy. On a daily basis, I am communicating with LCCF and serving as their main point of contact. I hear all of their needs and wants and help the team translate those needs into smart brand decisions.