THE BRIEF
A Jar of Pickles is an AAPI lifestyle and stationery brand founded in 2012 that had grown past the visual language it started with. I joined the team as a design intern halfway through a brand refresh that moved the studio away from a pastel, hand-drawn look toward something bolder, sharper, and still distinctly playful. My job was to apply the new system across three core surfaces: the email marketing program, a redesigned greeting card line, and a new Chinese New Year red envelope set for the Year of the Sheep 2027.
01
the problem + insight
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Hospitality decision-makers are busy and skeptical of AI claims. They need to see ROI before committing to a new platform. The challenge was translating complex product capabilities like AI voice agents, PMS integrations, and autonomous call handling into marketing materials that felt human, credible, and results-first rather than feature-heavy.
The most compelling way to communicate a technical product isn't through features — it's through outcomes. Decision-makers want to know what it does for their bottom line. Leading with client results like $180k in labor savings and a 100% call answer rate made the product immediately legible.
02
the approach + outcome
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Hospitality decision-makers are busy and skeptical of AI claims. They need to see ROI before committing to a new platform. The challenge was translating complex product capabilities like AI voice agents, PMS integrations, and autonomous call handling into marketing materials that felt human, credible, and results-first rather than feature-heavy.
The most compelling way to communicate a technical product isn't through features — it's through outcomes. Decision-makers want to know what it does for their bottom line. Leading with client results like $180k in labor savings and a 100% call answer rate made the product immediately legible.
the work
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