MEET SHELF
You may come to SHELF Studio thinking you’re hiring a packaging and branding company, but what you’ll get is a true brand partner who will care for your brand as if it were their own. At SHELF, every brand we engage with has its own personality, which means we thoughtfully pair the right team with your brand’s vibe from our family of strategists, creatives, and copywriters. From strategic brand consultation to maximizing your brand’s ownable look, we will be an indispensable thought leader behind every aspect of bringing your brand experience to life. Just as important as executing beautiful work, our team is both extremely accommodating and collaborative and you can expect projects to be delivered both on schedule and on budget. If you’re looking for true partners who can push your brand farther than you can imagine — then we’re your team.
FOUNDER & CREATIVE DIRECTOR
ALISON P. SAUTER
I chase the things I want most — even if I don’t exactly know how to get there. And that’s exactly what brought me to creating SHELF Studio. But let’s go back to the start: It begins with my passion for packaging.
I’m a gift giver, and there is nothing more beautiful to me than a thoughtfully designed package. So in 2001, I went to the place that does packaging best: The Netherlands. With a little bravery and no plan whatsoever, I pedaled my portfolio door-to-door until [finally] an agency took me aboard. In Holland, I worked for international clients including Snapple, Whole Earth, Unilever and Schwepps.
I returned to the States more than five years later to find work in San Diego at a string of agencies, where I rounded out my skills to grow new brands and reinvent established ones. Five years there, and I was off to the place I would call home: Austin, Texas.
My Austin home and SHELF Studio might be the most recent incarnations of my calling to craft brands that spark, but that’s always been inside me. And through the trust of my clients and a lot of serendipity, I’m exactly where I’m supposed to be.
OUR TALENTED TEAM
We’re maximizers. We collaborate with our network of like-minded experts, brilliant creatives, and strategic masterminds to ensure your brand experience sells with your precise personality.
Deborah Mendelson is our Managing Director who bridges the growth between Shelf and our fabulous team of clients. Throughout her 15+ year career, She's been an individual contributor as well as a launcher of business initiatives for creative agencies. Her success with Shelf is both in managing and leading our senior creatives as well as building sustainable relationships and partnerships with our wide range of CPG clients, stakeholders, and their teams. She is a consumer guru who thinks like a consumer, researches and tests products, and finds the missing language that will help customers trust the purchasing process.
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Lauren’s fearlessness is her best quality — especially as a Brand Strategist. She probes and asks tough questions until she gets to the really meaningful stuff. She’s got a knack for figuring out what audiences care about and what differentiates a company from its competition. The majority of her career has been as a Program Manager for advertising and branding firms working for clients like CoverGirl, AT&T, Claritin, Hyatt Hotels — developing brands at all different life stages. Now, she specializes in brand strategy for startups and entrepreneurs because she can make a big and appreciated impact — helping new companies get off to a smart start.
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He’s worked with Google and YouTube to reach small business clients around the world. He’s scripted videos for the NFL, the NBA, and NASA. He’s branded everything from app start-ups to CPGs you‘ll find in Target and Whole Foods. And that’s not even the whole story. He began his career in advertising at 18 years old – working his way up from copywriting intern to Creative Director at his first agency. He then worked at the legendary Peter Mayer Advertising in New Orleans before bouncing to San Francisco for less humid weather. There, he worked on an embedded creative team for Google with partners in San Francisco, Mountain View, San Bruno, and Dublin, Ireland. He also helped launch Google’s global Pride campaign that amplified the voices of LGBTQ+ families. When he’s not writing for SHELF clients, he’s shaping the direction of Pandora’s new audio advertising product, Dynamic Audio. Ryan is SHELF’s most senior creative behind Alison – working with the Studio since 2011 and through its many incarnations. And he’ll be here for whatever’s next.
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Howdy. I’m Wayne Geyer, and I’m the president of the SHELF fan club. The SHELF team understands that great design gets its power from a good story, and that a good story is made even more compelling when it’s delivered in a fabulous package. It all works together — and that’s why I love working with SHELF. I look forward to helping you share your story. When I’m not doing cool stuff with SHELF, I’m working with organization leaders to help them tell their stories. They come to me because they recognize that a good story can impact everything from revenue to recruiting. Together, we figure out what makes their products and services unique — and then we shout that message from the rooftops. Most of my clients hire me on a hunch, because they’ve talked with someone who tells them, “I think Wayne Geyer can help.” So, if you’re thinking, “We need a story,” then you should run with that — and I hope you’ll get in touch.
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Julie’s always had a special relationship with SHELF – because she used to be a client. We first met Julie when she was serving as the CEO of UpSpring Baby, a company developing innovative wellness products for new moms. She selected SHELF to help launch UpSpring’s first supplement drink. But before that, Julie worked in marketing agencies, the software industry, and even real estate. She took the classic marketing route with an MBA from the University of Michigan and then worked for a handful of globally recognized brands like American Express, O Magazine, Martha Stewart Living, and Parenting Magazine. After 25 years in NYC, Julie made her home in Austin where she serves as our boots-on-the-ground Brand Strategist. Turnaround is her specialty – coming into a company when things are messy, helping them shift gears, and positioning them for growth.
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Strong, savvy, superhero-level strategy? Picture-perfect planning with precision? Objectively outstanding operations? Steven’s your guy. With nearly 15 years in the natural foods industry, Steven came to SHELF with a wealth of expertise, plus a serious appetite for helping our clients. His comprehensive knowledge of product, analytics, and business strategy has led him to the forefront of some of the most innovative food, body care, and supplement trends. He uses these insights to help our clients stand out on the shelf. Steven’s experience also includes partnering to establish and grow a Belgian-based supplement company in the U.S. As the National Sales & Education Coordinator, he grew the brand’s presence from 300 to over 1,500 stores nationwide. Sure, that’s impressive. But what about Steven’s personal life? When he’s not helping direct strategy or building out a comprehensive quarterly plan, you can find him in the kitchen. Or playing the piano. Or spending quality time with his beloved deaf & blind poodle, Baby. There’s so much to say about Steven, we might have him build a spreadsheet to capture all there is to admire.
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I like to help small businesses solve their biggest problems. Whether it’s sales, social reach, or product packaging I believe that a strong identity is where solving any brand’s problems begins. I am a disciple of SHELF Studio having started my design career here and learning from an amazing teacher–SHELF’s Principle and Creative Director, Alison (I call her Ali 😊). From Alison, I learned the ins and outs of branding and strategy to which I caught on quickly because it turns out that I love it! After leaving SHELF I began working with a global ancillary Cannabis company and moved quickly up the ranks to become a marketing VP. In that position, I learned so much about how brand and marketing strategies align, interact and directly impact product sales. I now work on my own as a freelancer and contracted strategic designer/brand specialist performing what I call “Brand CPR” for struggling brands. I love a good rebrand and I really believe that design is for everyone. In the future, I aspire to work on more children’s products because, like the late Whitney Houston (RIP), “I believe the children are our future.” Outside of design I really love art, historical fiction, learning, avocados–I loved them before avocado toast was a thing–my husband, my dogs, my mama, and cute things. #kawaiitillidie
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Sarah Acevedo is a freelance designer, illustrator, and hand-letterer based in Austin, Texas. She is also an advocate, dreamer and creative change-maker who believes in community over competition and loves working on projects for the greater good of others, their businesses and personal creative fulfillment.
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Beauty Beholder, light bender, food perfecter, baby & kid whisper, product prevailer, pep talker and photographer extraordinaire!
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With almost 20 years of experience, my retouching roots run deep with extensive knowledge of both pre-press and web requirements. This insight, matched with a keen eye for lighting and color, resulting in refined retouching with a natural quality.
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