This week, we’ve been all over the place— quick emergency vibe check on Tim Horton’s x Adidas, how luxury projects moodboard, the Brad Pitt zoomer crossover. So in fitting nature, we’re going to breakdown what’s in our bookmarks.

This is your reminder to set aside a little time every week to look at your saved tweets and IG posts, add them to project plans, create actions from them, and keep your creative life organized.

In unrelated news and a surreal twist of fate, we regularly post on The Professional Network as they roll out their Videos features. Come connect:

Oren
Clayton

Let’s get into it.

Death to Stock

We've gotten a ton of questions about the graphics from our luxury report, including this super fun cover.

We got all the graphics for our cover and section headers from Death to Stock.

Why we love it

For people who create a lot of media online, having a tool like DTS at $15 per month (of $59 a month for agencies with fully transferable rights).

Best part is you can use the graphics for literally anything

• Report content

• Youtube thumbnails

• Email graphics

• Social backgrounds

• etc

…and they’ll deliver consistent, new imagery that is relevant to what's happening culturally and stands out versus all other unlimited license imagery options.

Their team thinks through the trends and delivers relevant imagery that resonates. Plus, you have unlimited downloads, so you can experiment freely, knowing new content is being replenished every month.

Here are a few of their latest shoots that we loved:

And a sneak peek at some upcoming, unreleased imagery 👀

Use our code SOHYPER and you’ll get 15% off for the next 12 months!
https://deathtothestockphoto.com/

_{*This segment is in partnership with Death to Stock*}

What’s in our bookmarks this week

The power of BTS content via IG Reels

If your brand does seasonal campaigns or photo/video shoots for product releases, this is your reminder that iPhone BTS is now as important as the shoot itself.

If you’re an agency producing these or a photographer/videographer providing these services, there are viral BTS formats that will help you get significant attention for your work online.

1. Show an iPhone behind the scenes clip from a shoot to get attention

2. Then flash 3-5s of the final product

We all seeing the before-and-after transformations. It offers a glimpse of reality and highly produced content. Plus, it’s one of the simplest edit formats you can do.

Here are a few examples we’re jamming on right now

thomas_garanzuay

2,953 followers

View more on Instagram

Any brand shoot you do where you don’t take 2-3 shots to make content like this is a missed opportunity; create accordingly.

If you want to work on content like this with coaches and an accountability group, the next Cut30 starts in July.

Making an everyday product unique

I think Jacques Monneraud is my new favorite brand right now.

The ceramic pots he (Jacques, the founder) designed literally look like repurposed cardboard.

It’s so real it looks like AI. But it’s not AI—it’s real real.

We preach about this all the time, but making your own product doesn’t require reinventing the wheel. You can take a simple product and tweak it 3%, and you’ve got yourself a new product.

Shoutout to Jacques for building a kick-ass one-man business on this model. Now, if we could get our hands on that ceramic before it sells out again FFS.

Make product packaging fun again

Here are a few product designs we’ve become obsessed with in the last few weeks.

First up is Kloo, a coffee concentrate product that’s got an even greater bottle shape to it. Reminds me of the old country bears jug — I don’t know if that reference makes sense. But yeah.

And then, they’ve found a way to keep you from having to purchase new bottles by sending you reusable ones.

Then we’ve got Clase Azul, and absolute banger of a bottle shape. Haven’t seen something quite this good in a while, but it’s so luxurious and inviting.

And of course, we can’t forget coffee bean cans in a motor oil cans.

This goes without saying, but using alternative packaging ideas is the easiest way to flex your individuality with consumer-packaged goods. In a world with thousands of options, your product and packaging is a simple way to stand out.

Graza did it with olive oil and it’s absolutely worked, so why not for other categories?

Mirroring brand campaign references

I love when brands draw from the past to inform their current work, and Metalwood Studio executed this so well with their Paris Fashion Week announcement.

They posted this photo (which looks 100% AI-generated) to announce that they’d be at PFW. And if you didn’t get the reference…

It was a nod to the iconic Penn ad from the 1988 French Open. This ad is still one of my favorites to this day.

Metalwood probably could’ve produced a real photo instead of a computerized one, but I appreciate the dot-connecting to Paris and wanna see more brands tap into their when they launch their own campaigns.

The dumb-phone generation

Heineken just wants you to enjoy your time at the club without being glued to your phone.

We present you with The Boring Phone, Heineken’s limited edition, nostalgic nod to early 2000s designs. They launched the collab at Milan Design Week in collaboration with Bodega and designed by HMD.

The device features a transparent casing and Y2K-inspired stickers.

Why it’s interesting: The trend of "dumb phones" continues to grow, and Heineken’s innovative twist has garnered excitement from artists like TSHA, who hope it will help audiences live in the moment.

More brands should activate the idea of being mindful or present in their campaigns, whether or not a phone is involved.

Fully here for the anti-phone rennaissance.

Heineken x Bodega and the Boring Phone

Mixed bag

Styling help on fashion websites.

Miu Miu with the bag. of. the. summer.

The art of moodboarding 101

Listen to Oren yap for 20 minutes about moodboards, from beginner to advanced level. This is a great walkthrough for anyone who wants to improve their vibes.

Hyper Reports

Check out our market reports. We spend many hours researching markets, categories, and brands & products within the consumer space so you don’t have to.

• How to Source Blanks 101 — HERE — a guide to finding and producing your own merch

• Reports on Running, Golf, and Tennis — HERE — a guide to each sport, the market opportunities, and how to launch your own brand

Inquiries? Shoot us a note here: [email protected]

We’d love to chat!

Oren & Clayton ❤️ you