You’re probably familiar with Gin Lane’s work, even if you’ve never heard of them.

The New York-based agency is behind the branding for Hims, Everlane, Warby Parker, Recess, Harry’s, SmileDirectClub and Quip, to name a few. The firm has been widely credited for using catchy copy, modern fonts, and muted pastels to help consumer-facing startups turn into legitimate “challenger brands” in age-old categories (i.e. glasses, razors, toothbrushes, etc.).

“The branding and landing page for this is very well done. CBD and THC-based products often feel slimy or marketed toward the 'stoner' crowd. This feels like an art project, inspiring curiosity," - Ryan, on Recess

“Zero friction to talk with doctors. Great branding.” - Annelies, on Hims

But yesterday, Gin Lane announced a pivot of sorts: it’s phasing out all of its clients. 👋

Instead, the company is rebranding itself to Pattern, which will become a direct-to-consumer holding company for up to five different lifestyle brands.

The details: Pattern — which, according to the company, represents the habits people form each day — is on a mission to “bring back enjoyment.” In practice, that means Pattern plans to launch a series of products that help people be more present in their daily lives and counter the growing culture that’s addicted to work, productivity and technology.

With its anti-burnout thesis at the helm, Pattern also adapted the moniker “Direct with Consumer” (or DWC) to describe its approach to building these brands.

“Pattern's DWC model is built to create intimacy at scale through deeper, more personal consumer relationships through a multi-brand approach serving customers across various aspects of their life over time,” Pattern co-founder Emmet Shine told us.

While it’s still a little vague what “Direct with Consumer” actually means, it seems like Pattern plans to launch brands that will combine certain elements of product and community from the beginning.

The first product out of Pattern is a cooking brand called Equal Parts, which wants to help people find comfort and intuition in the kitchen through cookware (physical products) and guidance (in-person events and content). According to Shine, future brands will focus on other activities that foster daily enjoyment, such as organizing and maintaining a home or learning new hobbies.

What’s next: With $14M in venture funding in the bank, Pattern plans to role out more brands in 2020. Stay tuned! 👀

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