The Creative Pack with Founder, Danielle Kidney feature 97 of Together Talks

KLS
Jan 23, 2024
7 min read

Updated: 6 days ago

"Together Talks" feature 97: The Creative Pack presented by KLS, freight company

Some Background on The Creative Pack

For today's edition of "Together Talks" campaign, KLS had the chance to interview The Creative Pack and Founder, Danielle Kidney.

THE PACK (noun): a group of creatives, hunting for the best design solutions & working together in a close knit team.

They love working with clients both large and small, getting to understand their individual needs, not only do they enjoy it, but they are good at it too!

They are a clever pack of creatives with a natural instinct for food and beverage packaging – free from ego and an excellent source of industry know-how. Their clients are National Brands, Private Label Programs, and Natural & Organic CPG leaders looking for a fresh path forward.

London to US and back

Danielle's journey began in London where she was born to an American Father and British Mom. She obtained a design degree in London at Brunel University in industrial design and technology. Always interested in business of design, she studied abroad in San Francisco for a semester. After graduation she worked for a packaging and branding agency that did private label work for Tesco, the third largest retailer in the world. In 2006, this agency brought her back to the US as they decided to launch their US venture, Fresh and Easy.

She was part of the design process and ultimately was part of the operation for over almost eight years. The company decided to close the US operation which left Danielle at a crossroads. She had the experience in the industry, did she want to join another agency or was this her opportunity to create her own path?

One door closes

Danielle decided to bet on herself. She created her own agency that started with herself and two other designers. Having the experience of helping open the US arm with her previous employer allowed Danielle to complete every task needed to open a business. She shared that was imperative for providing a seamless transition as she founded her own company. However, it didn't come without any risks, she had her own personal investment that was a concern. But in her opinion and the feedback she got from her support system, she knew that this was her chance to do things her way and see her vision through.

February of 2024, The Creative Pack will reach a decade in business!

The focus of her firm is their expertise in the food and beverage industries. Danielle stated that while there are so many design agencies, what sets their firm apart is the connectivity and relationship building with clients. She explained, "Compared to big firms, we allow every client to meet with us. Meeting the team that you'll be directly working with goes a long way in building trust." Unsurprisingly, The Creative Pack has clients who are still with them, signing on at the very start.

Danielle reflected on a huge milestone that the company hit this year, when they moved into their own commercial design space. But unlike the previous spaces, she owns this one. The summer of this year was when The Creative Pack hit that incredible accomplishment. Danielle told us that it had been something she had dreamed of for many years, but the timing was right this summer and she is thrilled about the opportunity it brings to their team. As they enter the new year, Danielle said the biggest goals are continued growth for her, her team, and the firm. She has booked podcasts, keynote speaking engagements, and being a mentor on emerging brands in accelerator programs. With her nearly two-decade experience, Danielle has realized that there is a lack of female leadership in her industry, further proof to be so proud of reaching 10 years in business next year. She also has made a commitment to continue not only supporting but empowering her team. Danielle shared she is a mother of two and in total the entire team has nine children in total. Providing an inclusive culture that still allows females to grow in their role is crucial to Danielle.

Educating clients

In her opinion, Danielle believes that the US markets are behind on advancements as compared to markets in Europe, Asia, and even Canada. She did say that there has been some real progress over the last couple of years, but educating clients about possibilities is one of the challenges her agency faces. Getting them to understand the innovation with food and flavors, but also packaging is just a small component of the expertise her and her firm bring to the table. Another area she believes our markets are lacking is sustainability initiatives. While there has been a big push in recent years, Danielle believes it hasn't scratched the surface yet to the true possibilities.

The Creative Pack goes above and beyond in their design process by advocating for best in class whether it is the product inside or the packaging on the outside. One approach that The Creative Pack utilizes is their competitive review. Danielle and her team present brands that the client would maybe never experience including international brands to try and unlock the true potential of their vision. Providing inspiration for clients to envision future developments for their design and product is the belief behind this review. Danielle continued, "Our viewpoint has always been, design something that will not just stand out on a shelf but last a number of years in the current design."

Creative alignment

Working with their clients, Danielle explained how watching companies grow and evolve and being part of that process is so rewarding. Providing their guidance and expertise helps brands continue to expand on their growth. Whether it is a startup, emerging brand, or established company, The Creative Pack is positioned to help steer the ship for continued growth and success. Danielle credits the good culture of their team as a driving influence for their sustained growth and production. Their level of success is a direct correlation to their great retention. As a result, she told us that referrals and word of mouth has been a great driver for their continued growth.

When creating and developing a design for a client, Danielle said that there isn't one solution for every brief. Their goal is to present their translation of the client's vision, but then discuss what was missed. As she explains, a specific challenge is everyone uses vocabulary with different meanings, which is why her team will use visual examples as well to hopefully unlock their vision. The key for The Creative Pack is honing in on essence of brand and how to deliver that visually for each client. Having such long-lasting clients despite going through changes, is a sense of pride for Danielle. She credits her team for constantly adapting their business to meet changing needs of their clients and the industry. She elaborated, "We have examples of working with companies, they go through new leadership, and yet members left at the company vouch for us to continue working with our agency. When other people speak highly on our behalf, it is incredible validation and flattering. It is proof that we deliver what we say we will do."

Culture of building

Danielle said that where every day is different with constant new challenges, she credits being agile, nimble, and thriving in an environment while learning daily. She credits her thirst for knowledge as a key contributor. For her being the Founder, she must lead by example. One way she strives to do this is by challenging her team to step out of their comfort zone. She hopes she is inspiring others to do so as she is with her upcoming year.

Running a company is a rollercoaster, Danielle explains that the highs are very high and very rewarding, but the lows are often taken very personally. Being adaptable is a necessity not only for the business, but her as a leader as well. She told us her growth as a leader is a constant work in process and she credits back to her old lessons she had learned. "Initially when a client didn't like a design, we would assume we were wrong, we didn't deliver. Over time and through experience though we learned it was more just understanding that we weren't aligned. That was a big breakthrough for us.", Danielle shared.

Her work at The Creative Pack, Danielle said that every milestone they achieve she tries to step back to take a moment and appreciate how far they have come. She said sometimes she relies on her support network to remind her, but she never loses sight of her appreciation for what she has built. Daily she considers herself very lucky to have the ability to create and let her vision to come to life and doing so with her team. Danielle shared, "There is so much joy I feel that comes from seeing people thrive, seeing career growth, seeing happy clients, seeing successful projects that we've helped launch on shelf."

Piece of Advice

The conversation with Danielle ended with her sharing her piece of advice.

"Knowing your value. Know your expertise in the field. When you can create alignment with values, it leads to a magical place. We are still learning how to sell the value we bring. Steer the business to working with people who have same values and have the correct synergy."

In Closing

KLS wants to thank Danielle Kidney, Founder, of The Creative Pack for today's "Together Talks" feature. Keep up to date with The Creative Pack by following their blog on their website, check it out here. Follow along for the The Creative Pack journey with their social handles below!