Hello, we're Cakewalk
We're a highly creative, fiercely talented branding studio committed to one thing: telling your story the right way to the people who matter.
Branding should be fun and easy. And it is, when you know the right steps. Cakewalk is a brand communications studio helping companies connect with the people they care about. With our expertise in strategy, naming, corporate identity, brand communications, packaging, and environments, there's no story we can't help you tell.
Pretty pictures alone are not a business solution. We get it. That's why we're focused on results, creating compelling brands that engage, delight, and connect with their audience. Brands that get noticed – and get people talking.
But enough about us. What's your story? We'd love to help you tell it more effectively – and take your brand to the next level. So let's talk. With us, branding's a cakewalk.
FEDEX TIMECENTER is an immersive, user-driven environment created to entertain guests at FedExForum, the home of the NBA’s Memphis Grizzlies. There, visitors interact with exhibits that explore the subject of time through audio, video, and multi-media experiences created to engage and entertain while connecting them with key brand values and principles. (David Zapata, Creative Director, FITCH.)
KFC needed to reestablish what was best about the brand. A new identity connects with the company’s heritage while updating it for contemporary audiences. A simplified rendering and a richer color palette make the Colonel appear younger and more approachable, while an apron puts him back where he started the concept – in the kitchen. (Kimberly Cross, Art Director; Tesser, Inc.)
ROBEKS needed to make the case for their all-natural, fresh juices and smoothies. Cakewalk’s new identity, store design, packaging, and juice truck highlight quality ingredients and product benefits to tell a clear, compelling story. With the rebrand in paces, the company has experienced double digit comparable sales increases since 2013.
McROSKEY MATTRESS CO. mattresses have been hand-crafted from all-natural materials and made to order in San Francisco for over 100 years – but fierce competition from big box manufacturers meant they needed to communicate their key differentiators of craftsmanship and durability. Cakewalk’s retail environments and communication system amplifies what’s genuine and authentic about the brand, along with the superior quality of the company’s premium, luxury beds.
BLINQ offers cooks a way to accessorize their kitchens with a line of high-quality cookware in fun, fashionable colors. The goal for the new brand – from its name and identity through to packaging, in store display graphics, and website – was to make cooking fun again by creating experiences that are simple, beautiful and smart. (David Zapata, Creative Director; FITCH.)
MICROSOFT wanted to brand their cutting edge research and development unit, Microsoft Research, as they expanded their facilities. A user-driven experience with graphics, signage, information kiosks, and way-finding elements helped visitors and employees alike navigate the new space – using innovative technology in ways one would expect from a dynamic and forward-thinking organization. (David Zapata, Creative Director, FITCH.)
CHEVY'S made everything fresh from scratch every single day. How do you say that – believably – in a market crowded with imitators? This successful series of promotions took their cues from a mix of vintage and modern cultural references – managing to both build brand awareness and move product at the same time while making Chevys one of the most dynamic brands in the industry. (Kimberly Cross, Art Director; Tesser, Inc.)
FREDERICK'S OF HOLLYWOOD needed a retail experience that would tap into the sense of style that first captivated women when the company established the category in the 1950s. The new store design connects its customer with the brand’s heritage by making her the star of the show: featuring modern updates to the red carpet walk along with new fixtures, lighting, materials and graphics that capture the imagination and transport shoppers to a place of timeless glamor. (David Zapata, Creative Director; FITCH.)
LEVI'S needed to help shoppers navigate their way through an increasingly crowded category at retail. As a result, a merchandising system was created and deployed in-store to efficiently communicate product features and fit points while connecting the consumer to Levi’s heritage through a visual vocabulary of color, type, material and imagery. (David Zapata, Creative Director; FITCH.)
IHOP wanted to create a credible fast-casual version of their dine-in restaurants. The new identity takes the brand’s iconic blue roof and contemporizes it for modern audiences, while a complete program included signage, packaging, menu boards, and environmental design to launch the new concept. (David Zapata, Creative Director; Kimberly Cross, Art Director. Produced at Tesser, Inc.)
BP wanted to bring the vision and values behind their new identity to life in the myriad environments the organization used to connect with consumers and employees. Retail outlets, workspaces, and refineries alike were created to manifest the energetic optimism of the rebrand – through materials, color, lighting, graphics, and signage. (David Zapata, Design Director, Landor Associates.)
POWERHOUSE a supplier for legacy diesel engines, needed to shed 60 years of misconceptions about the performance potential of the engines they served – while updating the brand to reflect their innovative approach. A clean, classic identity speaks to the company’s heritage, while promotional materials communicate the uncompromising quality and performance of Powerhouse products and services.
RUBIO’S FRESH MEXICAN GRILL , a Baja California concept, wanted to invoke the idea of the restaurant as a pleasant form of escape while boosting in-store sales. A series of oversized “travel posters” communicate the idea of Rubio’s as a “mini vacation” while promoting their beverage offering. A brand refresh, including an innovative menu board and promotional campaign creating the feel of a roadside taco stand generated comp sales in the double digits. (Kimberly Cross, Art Director; Tesser, Inc.)
SOTA a well-known performing arts high school with a stellar reputation and a simple, memorable name, was renamed the “Ruth Asawa San Francisco School of the Arts” in 2010. To preserve the equity of the “SOTA” abbreviation and properly recognize the new name, Cakewalk created a flexible identity system designed to allow for communication with the school’s many audiences in a voice appropriate for each.
NOAH'S needed an in-store promotion to introduce their new line of premium coffees and specialty beverages while reconnecting with the heritage and quality of the brand. Posters, menu boards, and window graphics take their cue from classic enamel signs of the early 20th Century, giving the promotion a warm, authentic feel, create appetite appeal, and reflect the premium quality of the new offering.