Capsule 18: Places We've Been

In celebration of turning 18 this year, the Capsule team takes a look at some of the things we have learned on our journey to adulthood.

This week, we reflect on 18 incredible places we've traveled with Capsule.

18. Bend, Oregon - Hydro Flask

Bend is a quaint but bustling town nestled near the Cascade Mountains in Oregon. With its unique mixture of pines, high desert, mountains and uncharacteristic Oregon sunshine, the town is a mecca for outdoor sports, and listed as one of the best places in the nation to live. Though small, it boasts the 5th largest metro population in the state, and is home of the well known Deschutes Brewery. We had the joy of discovering this gem of a town while visiting our client, Hydro Flask - a company that, much like the town where it is headquartered, focuses on living outdoor life to the fullest.

17. Miami, Florida - FUSE

Every April, members of the Capsule team travel down to sunny Miami, Florida for the FUSE conference. The warm weather, great food and vibrant art scene make Miami one of our favorite places to visit. This year, our trip to Fuse ended with a 27-hour road trip back home. It's always an adventure!

16. Boston, Massachusetts - Front End of Innovation

Our Research and Strategy Associate, Lucy went to Boston in the beginning of May for the Front End of Innovation – a four-day conference designed around advancing innovation and provoking change. The event brought together hundreds of eager attendants from around the country and expert speakers to discuss, among other things, design innovation, future trends and business model innovation. "It was my first time attending a conference like this and in between live-blogging the event, networking, and sipping wine at the end of the day, I soaked in as much new knowledge as possible." Check out one of our blogs here covering the event.

15. Salt Lake City, Utah - Oudoor Retailer

Outdoor Retailer is one of our favorite trade shows to attend, not only to catch up with old friends from Patgonia, Hydro Flask and Smartwool, but also to get back to the beautiful Salt Lake City. This year, Rachel, got to attend for the first time. "Attending Outdoor Retailer in Salt Lake City was a 48 hour whirlwind of inspiration and innovation. The show itself was way bigger than I ever could have imagined and I got to learn so much about the brands I already knew, and the hundreds that I had never heard of. Besides the show itself, I absolutely love the breathtaking scenery of Salt Lake City. Being surrounded by mountains just reminds you of how beautiful nature can be with views that simply can’t be ignored."

14. Japan - Patagonia

When Patagonia asks you to conduct a research project that analyzes how people all over the world shop, you jump on a plane and don't ask any questions. The exciting energy, bustling crowds and rich retail scene in Tokyo kept us busy and provided fascinating insights for our research.

13. New York City, New York - Coty

Kitty, Aaron and Sarah went to NYC a couple years ago to meet with Coty, a beauty company that manages brands such as Sally Hanson, OPI and Covergirl. "We went in January and we flew right into a huge snow storm (we were the last flight out of Mpls to NYC). The storm ended up not being that bad but the city was pretty much shut down. We did get our Coty meeting in when we arrived. The next day we got up early and walked around the city in the snow and we were able to walk down the middle of the streets because nobody was around. We walked by Good Morning America and The Today Show while they were filming. We also had a meeting with the design team at the Trump Tower. A fun adventure and a fun way to see NYC without so many people around." - Sarah, Account Manager

12. Steamboat Springs, Colorado - Smartwool

For many years, Capsule has participated in the Smartwool bike ride to Outdoor Retailer. Beginning in Steamboat Springs, a couple of us from the office have gotten together with our friends at Smartwool, along with other retail vendors attending the show, to make the trek to Salt Lake City for the show. It's a unique and extremely fun ride that allows you to network and engage in a physical, team oriented activity.

11. Coeur D'Alene, Idaho

On the request of a client, we traveled to the amazingly beautiful Coeur D’Alene to help present a rebrand. The organization gathered all of its members for a yearly conference and the reveal of the new brand was one of the highlights of the programming. The stunning scenery was a highlight for our first-time Idaho visitors.

10. Chicago, Illinois - Craftsman

"We met to have brand download for Craftsman and then to present new mark concepts. The outcome was a mark for Craftsman that complemented their word mark. We also met to discuss a packaging update for Kenmore that resulted in an addition to their brand guidelines. The meeting location was the headquarters of the Sears corporate in Hoffman Estates but we stayed in Chicago which meant we could make a stop at Rosebud Restaurant, a favorite." - Dave, Account Manager

9. Munich, Germany - Patagonia

One of our most extensive research projects took us all over the world to analyze how people shop. The history, beautiful architecture and beer makes Munich one of our favorite places that we have visited.

8. Portland, Oregon - Yakima and Leatherman

We headed to Portland, OR several times a few years ago for a Yakima project, while working on new product packaging. This packaging has been in stores for a few years now. We also designed new wall fixtures for Yakima. Our current client is Leatherman. Dave had the pleasure of working with both clients and traveling for most of these trips: "For Leatherman, we had a great tour of the factory that started with viewing the original Leatherman prototype in the reception area and took us all the way through the various processes from raw steel to finished product. We're excited to see the packaging hit the market soon." - Dave, Account Manager

7. San Francisco, California

We’ve spent a great deal of time in San Fran visiting the Fancy Food show as well as clients and friends including Yes To, Method and Timbuktu.

6. Sugar Lake Lodge, Grand Rapids, MN - Capsule Retreat

Last winter, the Capsule team traveled up north to Sugar Lake Lodge in Grand Rapids, Minnesota for a retreat away from the cities. The woods and crisp northern air provided a nice haven and space to clear our minds, venture outside and get our creative juices flowing.

5. Ventura, California - Patagonia

The Patagonia headquarters include a fun, rambling office building that you can grab a surfboard (available for use by employees) and walk to the beach for a mind releasing surf. Dave recalls, "they have a wonderful cafeteria with a daily special cooked fresh on sit. The highlight of our later trips was the Patagonia archives. We developed new packaging for Patagonia’s baselayer for one project and did hang tag research to help them determine the most effective information to put on their hang tags for another project."

4. Baldwin, Wisconsin - Skydiving

An extra adventurous and memorable Capsule outing. One of our staff members at the time had skydiving on her bucket list, so our Creative Principal, Brian and Account Manager, Dave decided to join in on the fun. All made it out alive and well!

3. Denver, Colorado - Patagonia Research

In addition to Tokyo and Munich, we continued our Patagonia retail experience research in Denver, among several other U.S. cities. This research surrounded customers' experience with hang tags and what information and designs were most crucial to a positive customer experience.

2. Los Angeles, California - Stansport

Stansport, an outdoor brand committed to providing affordable gear for all outdoor adventures, is headquartered in vibrant Los Angeles. Grateful to get out of the office, members of Capsule traveled to sunny California to present new designs. Located at the edge of East L.A, the neighborhood contains no shortage of interesting visuals, including the many graffiti-covered buildings.

1. Red Wing, Minnesota - Red Wing Shoes

"This one’s pretty close to home, but traveling to Red Wing, MN definitely gets you away from the hustle and bustle of the Twin Cities. We’ve made many trips to visit a Red Wing Shoes, a client we’ve done multiple projects with. Some highlights of the trip include the beautiful Mississippi River landscape, snapping a picture with the worlds largest boot (over 20ft. tall!), and grabbing a burger at King's Palace on the way home" - Kayla, Designer

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