Obsessed with packaging design. Zero bullshit.
Coppergate Design Co is a CPG branding and packaging design studio founded by Michael Wilson, a designer, a former editorial creative director, and a CPG founder who co-built a brand from scratch.
That last part matters. Most designers can make something beautiful. Not many have stood on the other side of the table, made the same decisions you're making, and felt what it costs when packaging doesn't work.
Coppergate Design Co is a CPG branding and packaging design studio founded by Michael Wilson, a designer, a former editorial creative director, and a CPG founder who co-built a brand from scratch.
That last part matters. Most designers can make something beautiful. Not many have stood on the other side of the table, made the same decisions you're making, and felt what it costs when packaging doesn't work.
From magazine racks to grocery store shelves.
I started drawing skateboard graphics in high school. Studied design at Drexel. Spent years as a Design Director at Philadelphia Magazine and then Popular Mechanics (publications where design had to earn attention in a crowded rack for an audience that wasn't obligated to care).
That's a pretty good training ground for CPG.
When I went out on my own, I didn't pivot to branding for tech startups or rebranding law firms. I went deep in one direction: consumer packaged goods. Food, beverage, craft spirits, coffee, breweries, and restaurants. Brands that live or die at shelf.
I started drawing skateboard graphics in high school. Studied design at Drexel. Spent years as a Design Director at Philadelphia Magazine and then Popular Mechanics (publications where design had to earn attention in a crowded rack for an audience that wasn't obligated to care).
That's a pretty good training ground for CPG.
When I went out on my own, I didn't pivot to branding for tech startups or rebranding law firms. I went deep in one direction: consumer packaged goods. Food, beverage, craft spirits, coffee, breweries, and restaurants. Brands that live or die at shelf.
"Other agencies talk about brand ecosystems and experiential touchpoints. I talk about what your label needs to do at 3 feet on a Whole Foods shelf."
"Other agencies talk about brand ecosystems and experiential touchpoints. I talk about what your label needs to do at 3 feet on a Whole Foods shelf."
"Other agencies talk about brand ecosystems and experiential touchpoints. I talk about what your label needs to do at 3 feet on a Whole Foods shelf."
I didn't just design a CPG brand. I built one.
Hazard's Hop Water started as a way to practice what I preach. It became something else entirely. Co-founding Hazard's put me on the founder side of every conversation I'd been having with clients for years. Co-manufacturer negotiations. Retailer pitch meetings. Label compliance reviews. The moment you realize your packaging looks wrong under grocery store fluorescents. The feeling of watching your product move (or not move) off a shelf.
Launching Hazard's has changed how Coppergate works. Not the tools or the process, but the empathy. I know what's at stake on your side of the table because I've been there. That's not something you can fake, and it's not something most design studios can offer.
Hazard's Hop Water started as a way to practice what I preach. It became something else entirely. Co-founding Hazard's put me on the founder side of every conversation I'd been having with clients for years. Co-manufacturer negotiations. Retailer pitch meetings. Label compliance reviews. The moment you realize your packaging looks wrong under grocery store fluorescents. The feeling of watching your product move (or not move) off a shelf.
Launching Hazard's has changed how Coppergate works. Not the tools or the process, but the empathy. I know what's at stake on your side of the table because I've been there. That's not something you can fake, and it's not something most design studios can offer.
The Short Version
Education
Education
Drexel University,
Philadelphia
Drexel University,
Philadelphia
Former role
Former role
Design Director, Philadelphia Magazine
Design Director, Philadelphia Magazine
Former role
Former role
Design Director,
Popular Mechanics
Design Director,
Popular Mechanics
Founded
Founded
Coppergate Design Co.
Coppergate Design Co.
Co-founded
Co-founded
Hazard's Hop Water
Hazard's Hop Water
Based in
Based in
Belmont, North Carolina
Belmont, North Carolina
Honestly, if you've made it this far we should probably talk.
Honestly, if you've made it this far we should probably talk.
