The Directive Collective

🎯 So you want to start a footwear brand?

I love working with founder founders. If they are well prepared. Unfortunately, most aren’t.

I want start-ups to be successful. I want to take on new clients. Most of the time however, start-up founders don’t understand the process and aren’t ready with the basics needed to even have a chance at being successful.

Don’t know where to start?
Start here.

We can help. Proven experience bringing start-ups to market and small brands to the next level. Award winning strategy, branding, design, development and more.

Starting a Footwear brand is not easy. Most don’t past the planning stage. Most don’t get to market. Even if you do, it can be a long road path to commercial success.

The Directive Collective combines over 20 years of experience in the footwear industry with 15+ years of working with footwear start-ups. We specialize in helping footwear founders navigate their brand from strategy and planning through to design, development and commercialization. Past production, we support start-up brands with integrated packaging design, marketing and even social media support.

🔗 FREE Start-Up resources link in bio

📣 Last Chance. $50CAD/pair Sample Sale Clearance!

We designed these shoes for SKORA back in the day (2012-2015) and have been keeping sample stock in the Studio…. We’ve finally found the time to finally clear out the back of the archive and make space for new work so everything has to go. These are possibly the last original samples left in the world.

The Mystery Sale Confinued. 2-pairs per pack. You pick the style, we pick the colorway.

All samples brand new, original stock (including original Pittards leather and quality).

Free Shipping.
Samples all size M9.0/W7.0

🔗SHOP in bio

📣 I love talking about design. Who wants to listen?

Now booking for workshops, presentations and guided team demos.

As a professional designer with more than 20 years experience, education and sharing knowledge always been a passion. I've taught design to grade 4 kids, led corporate keynotes and created entire week-long innovation courses.

Have a corporate design team in need of inspiration, insight or innovation training? I can help.

Want to improve your designers' sketching, visual communication or concept development skills? I can help.

Working with your design leadership, I offer custom content from one-on-one trend analysis to multi-day team concept design sprints.

Interested? Let's chat.
🔗 in bio

🤝 What is a Good client?
One who respects the designer.

As a client, you don’t learn anything if your consultant is always telling you “yes”.

The most value you can get is when I tell you “No, but..…” and we problem solve together to find a solution. Some of my favorite clients were those that I often disagreed with. I had weekly calls with a long time retainer client for 5+ years where almost every call would turn into a heated argument. That’s fine. As long there is mutual respect, disagreement is OK to be part of the process.

Not only do I want a client that respects design, I’m also looking for a client that respect me.

This doesn’t mean they have to always agree with me.

As a professionaI I always tell clients that more than anything, my experience and opinion is what they are paying for. If they just want someone to do exactly what they want, or to agree with them no matter what, you don’t want me, and I’m pretty sure won’t pay for me. If you already have all the ideas why are you hiring a professional?

❌ Good Design Won’t Solve All Yoir Problems…

As designers, we often get stuck in the trap of thinking that Design (capital "D") can solve every problem and "Good Design" is the secret to product, brand and financial success. Make it attractive, make it work, make it right for your target market and you will win.

The truth is more complicated....

Design can’t fix everything.
While it’s tempting to sell Design to a client or management as a solution for everything that is broken (sales, margins, brand position, etc.), the reality is that if the product or brand isn’t working and you only change Design, you are set up to fail.

🩹 Good Design isn’t a bandaid- it must be well integrated if it has a chance to help.

📄 Full Article online