Special Projects Problem Solvers

...Try saying that 5 times fast

Capsule exists to do more than define differentiators, diction or design. We reach beyond your typical deliverable line items to solve those brand and marketing challenges that exist in a league of their own.

Our creatives and strategists specialize in routinely exploring great unknowns, answering big hairy questions, addressing elephants in the room, breaking with convention, taking roads less traveled, opening cans of worms, stabilizing houses of cards and transforming headscratchers into gamechangers.

Whenever there’s a gap between your brand’s uh-oh and it’s aha, we get to work.

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25 YEARS IN THE MAKING

Well would you look at that, we blinked and we’re halfway to a midlife crisis. 

As we celebrate 25 successful rotations around the sun, we can’t help but reflect on the unrelenting adaptation we’ve undergone as an agency in order to eclipse cut and paste capabilities in favor of creating custom solutions for our clients’ ever-evolving challenges. That’s why we’re proud to say we’re celebrating 25 years in the making. Because when you put it in the present perfect tense like that, it means something. 

We aren’t done yet. 

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FOCUSED ON CHALLENGES

While we’ve made a routine of working indoors and outdoors, a habit of strategizing for non-profits and billion dollar industries, and a custom of crafting brand containers for startups and century old businesses alike, our motivation to create has never been about the category. It’s all about the challenge. 

Our versatility is the result of a voracious appetite for variety. From pet projects to the complex challenges that keep you up at night, our refusal to limit our problem solving to a single specific sector has allowed us to intersect insights across industries and create genuine innovation for quite the Rolodex of clients. 

SAMPLE CLIENTS

Testimonials

"We’re very happy with the new Double Cross Vodka bottle. Capsule took the award-winning, iconic bottle they originally designed ten years ago and, collaborating with the Double Cross team for over a year, designed a functional bottle with exceptional pourability while matching the brand and high-level aesthetic of the original rectangular bottle."

Linda Gawne Chairman, Double Cross Spirits, LLC

"In our history, we’ve not found success engaging 'experts' - Do what we say and you’ll be successful, just like us. Aaron and the team at Capsule are fantastic. Their 'expertise' is the process of drawing our experience into their system of engagement. Working with them has been a strong illustration of the end result being greater than the sum of the individual parts. Exploring and subsequently forming a partnership with Gavin and Soigne was a huge undertaking. Capsule’s work, and our work together, has provided a strong foundation for our Vision and our marketing. We are already working to define our next project."

Karl Benson Owner, Cooks | Bellecour

"Capsule was an absolute joy to work with in developing our brand identity. They were thorough, thoughtful, and very patient with us. And the final design is something that our entire company has been rallying around. Their additional work on the full brand language documentation was superior. I have never seen such a solid body of work – I can't oversell Capsule. They are truly the cream of the crop– I would recommend them to anyone."

Tony Shoemaker Manager: Industrial Design, Kenmore Sears Holdings Corporation

"Capsule was a great partner for our packaging refresh. Their work was thorough, timely and exactly what we needed. Considerable thought was put into strategy and execution, resulting in an excellent finished product."

Eric Molletta Senior Creative Services Manager, Hydro Flask

"Aaron Keller and the Capsule team are tremendous partners. Their co-creation and brand-building abilities are exceptional. Together we built a brand through their empathetic and collaborative approach and partnership with my Design Leadership team and our broader Tyson team. From journey mapping and their proprietary naming methodology to brandmark design and brand strategy to an assortment of artifacts bringing the brand to life for team members, Capsule proved to be a valued partner."

Vinessa DePinto Director, Brand Design + Strategy, Tyson Foods

“As a founder your brand becomes personal. I've struggled to find success evolving our identity in a way that felt authentic and captured the spirit of Lake One as it grew from a me to a we. Capsule was the only team able to bring it home. From the mark to the language it all just landed and we couldn't have gotten there without their thoughtful guidance.”

Ryan Ruud Founder & CEO, Lake One Digital

"I had the pleasure of working with the Capsule team on a recent rebrand of our company. Right from the start they really dug into our company and industry to really understand where we were as a company and how we would best be positioned. Their process of determining our current state and future state really helped guide us to shape our current culture. They make the process fun by using imagery and wording to help shape the brand and their team was very helpful and engaged through the entire process. What could have been a very large and overwhelming process was made fun and engaging by the entire Capsule team!"

Jessica Grann Chief of Staff and Vice President of Brand & Corporate Communications, National Guardian Life

"Capsule’s creative, technical and research-based approach to developing our new brand resulted in resounding acceptance and excitement! Finally, Minneapolis College’s visuals depict its unique mission of providing access to the transformative power of education in a diverse and dynamic downtown environment. The Capsule team delivered a thorough process and well-thought-out brand elements while keeping the project on its timeline and budget."

Deanna Sheely Chief of Staff and Communications Officer, Minneapolis College

“I was most impressed with Capsule's care, attention to detail, and quality of work throughout this project. Not only did they work with us to find a pricing solution that fit within our budget, they also completed the work on our rebranded site design under the constraint of a tight timeline.”

Stephen Regenold VP Strategy, AllGear Digital

"Working with Capsule turned the daunting process of changing our identity into a refreshing new start. Their patience and perseverance helped us push through difficult decisions and we ended up with a logo and identity that represented our past and prepared us for the future. The new system design provides us with valuable graphic direction for the brand and has been complimented by many of our clients.”

Dan Buettner Founder, Blue Zones LLC

“Capsule’s approach to design gave our team the tools to make decisions quickly. The result was that we were able to get these changes to market fast and realize the results in sales.”

Peter Engel Director of Marketing, Red Wing Shoes

Our Anchors

The core values 
that drive our culture, 
work and client experiences

C Ap web values

Designing Values

Join a six-part exploration, poster series and donation campaign centered around the values that guide impact.

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6

Curiosity

Killer of cats. Mother of invention. Captor of retinas. The premier installation in our Designing Values series presents a choose your own adventure for the curiously inclined

Designing Curiosity

Simplicity

Created with the least amount of ink and the most amount of introspection, Designing Simplicity was a practice of careful creation, examination and redaction of all things extraneous to reach clarified focus.

Designing Simplicity

Thoughtfulness

Flexibility

Education

Collaboration

A Curated Crew

Our special projects problem solvers hold unmatched talent and humble egos that won't crowd you out of a room. 

We're purpose built to seamlessly embed with and extend the creative capacity of any internal team, diving headfirst into any point of your project and working hands-on with you to turn challenge into meaningful change. 

Inside the Capsule you'll find sweaters of details, simplifiers of complexity, slayers of timelines, and courageous creatives who are unfazed by phrases like "quick turnaround," "pivot in strategy" or "we just have a few minor tweaks."

Chelsea Comeaux

Finance + Human Resources

Aaron Keller

Co-Founder and Managing Principal

Brian Adducci

Co-Founder & Creative Principal

Keona Prokop

Relationship Development Director

Rachel Dille

Digital Marketing Associate

Ellen Pickering

Senior Manager, Research + Strategy

Michelle Bowitz

Creative Director

Ericha Hager

Senior Experience Strategist

Meghan Meehan

Experience Strategist

Taylor Colt

Art Director

Brandon Lord

Senior Designer

Nate Killam

Senior Designer

Dustin Studelska, PhD

Brand Communication Strategist

Think & Link

Our monthly speaker series featuring leading innovators, founders, designers and executives in our local and national community. Come to learn, network and stay inspired.

CAP web Think Link

awards

American Center for Design, American Corporate Identity, American Institute of Graphic Arts, Art Directors Club of New York, Communication Arts, International Annual Reports, Logo Lounge, Printing Industries of America, Financial World, Graphis, HOW Magazine, I.D., Industrial Designers Society of America, Pentaward, Print, San Francisco World Spirits, Summit Creative Award

Publications

AIGA Journal of Graphic Design, American Center for Design Journal, Business Week, Brand Packaging, Clear Magazine, Communication Arts, Critique, Design Management Institute, Emigre, Eye, Graphis, HarperCollins Publishers, HOW Magazine, I.D., Minnesota Business, New York Times, Print, Rockport Books, Twin Cities Business Monthl