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CAMP MUG
SUPPLY
CO

Crafting a brand around a single simple object.

Independent Venture

2018 – 2025

Simple Outdoor Product

Camp Mug Supply Co. began as a simple creative undertaking.

I was always drawn to hand-lettering and the sign painting trade. I wanted to explore how those interests could take shape in a tangible product. The exploration began by painting a single enamel camp mug that lived on my desk at work. This object sparked unexpected conversations with coworkers and friends specifically about the mug itself. I painted a few mugs to share and it became clear there was an opportunity to turn this idea into something larger. Initially a short-lived Etsy shop evolved into a dedicated Shopify custom website, wholesale orders, relationships with manufacturers in Asia and Poland.

Building a business and running it by myself proved to be every bit as challenging as the creative work itself.

Balancing product development, marketing, operations, and fulfillment often competed with the time I wanted to spend making. Even so, Camp Mug Supply Co succeeded in exactly what I had hoped it would: it became a creative outlet, introduced me to an incredible community of people, and taught me what it means to build a brand from the ground up.

While the project mostly remains domant, I continue to revisit it with new ideas and see meaningful potential for the future.

For a deeper look, you can explore the archive on Instagram at @campmugsupplyco.

Overview

ChallengeTake a simple object, make it desirable, and share that with others in a compelling, creative way. Move from an “arts and crafts” approach to a refined bespoke product brand.

Insight
Maintaining an authentic brand voice gains you respect and builds trust with your audience. Build and share the brand organically.

PrinciplesAuthenticity can’t be understated. Share my joy for these small physical objects in way that inspires a break from the digital noise.
OutcomeOver 1000 hand-painted mugs sold across the world. Shipping from Japan to South Africa, Australia to Canada, there was a global attraction to the products I was sharing. And as mentioned, the people I met along the way IRL and online are friendships I would have otherwise never had.

Cohesive design narrative
Strategy + System

HeirarchyBuilding off of the events brand identity created by agency parnters, these elements needed to anchor the visual system overall, but needed to be adapted as a distinct expressive graphic language for product.

Typography Balanced aesthetics of clean sans serif Helvetica Neue combined with a distorted, warped, and pixelated version that evoked the raw energy of a nighttime race through a major global city.

ColorFrom the start it was determined, that product needed to support the night environment through the use of reflectivity across the collection.

The use of color was executed through bright pops, bold reflective moments, and dark base fabrics.

Leadership
What I Led

Founder / Operator
Business Direction
Creative Strategy
Brand Identity

Reflection
Learned

Building a brand alongside someone with their own creative vision, learning to meet in the middle and hear another point of view that I never would have considered. Ultimately, leading to better finished product.

Would change

I would build a more robust creative team from the outset (or atleast once the brand identity was set).

Proud of

There’s no price you can place on doing work with the right people.
Over time, continually to refining the brand through a genuine parternship with the people involved created lasting results.

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