Assignment: Rebrand a stale store


Business Problem: Over 50% of sales come from premade seasonal décor, not crafts because beginning crafters become discouraged


Strategy: Crafting creates memories you can't buy at the store.


Creative Concept: Michaels is your partner to create something priceless

Every time I come home I welcome the familiarity- the smell of Tide laundry detergent, my cat Alex patiently waiting to be fed some treats, and the ugly pieces of décordecor hanging in my family’s house. Luckily the wall décor was cheap because I made it for my parents when I was 5.


That was the best part about being a kid- seeing piles of craft supplies and having a vision of greatness burst into our mind, so excited that your hands couldn’t move fast enough. Michaels craft supplies store is the beginning of all these piles of crafts as stores are filled with rows and rows of glitter, glue, and googly eyes.


My "Art"

Michaels is known for their extensive product selection but after quantitative research we found that almost 50% of revenue come from Q4 due to: football returning, Halloween, Thanksgiving, and of course- Christmas.


Seasonal décor is boosting sales for Michaels year after year.


After some ethnographic research we realized that new crafters visit Michaels with the hopes of creating a one of a kind piece of art only to become overwhelmed by choice. I mean is there really a difference between dark blue and midnight blue? Theses new crafters begin to feel discouraged with an “I can’t make that” mentality and end up settling for the already made decorations offered at the front of the store. 

While these beginning crafters are gaining a festive wreath they are also losing the memories that come from making something by hand. Crafting takes time, energy, money, and enthusiasm. You embark on a roller coaster of emotions as you as you piece together all the things that were once separate. The time and care you took to make the item is something you’ll remember and proudly display it for all to see.



These handmade crafts become items of value- and our rebranding of Michaels focuses on making them your partner to help you create something priceless. 

Creative Executions

Store Redesign:

We wanted to start by redesigning the store to make it feel more welcoming, a place where if you spent hours you weren’t overwhelmed but excited to explore the possibilities! 


To mimic the more homemade looking store logo we also changed the in-store signage to match. The encaps in the store also got a new look- currently Michaels employs over 80 influencers to create amazing crafts to share on social media. We decided to bring this in-store and showcase some of these designs. All of the necessary supplies for these influencer crafts would be available underneath a replica of the craft allowing shoppers to easily find supplies. The store packaging also changed to feel more luxurious. Since you are leaving Michaels with supplies to make a priceless item, we wanted that to be reflected mimicking famous patterns, Michaels now has their own luxurious print.


APP Redesign:

This was paired with redesigning their app because our research showed that users only downloaded it for the digital coupons. We incorporated a feature that allows you to find products easier and also be able to ask for help because those were two biggest obstacles for new crafters in the store. We also added a feature that generates new project ideas giving both new crafters and those more experience, the ability to find new inspiration. ​

Employee Handbok:

To allow our employees to become our biggest supporters we recommended allowing them to decorate their aprons to showcase their favorite crafts. We also designed an employee handbook focused on creative thinking. ​

Employee Manual
Employee Manual
Employee Manual
Employee Manual
Employee Manual
Employee Manual
Employee Manual
Employee Manual


With all the changes made to the in-store experience we launched a campaign focused on Michaels as your partner for making luxurious items.  Below is our print and out-of-home. Finally to complete the campaign we created a 30-second spot that would run on Hulu and YouTube. When thinking of luxury my mind goes straight to a typical hip-hop music video. We decided to create puppets that showed off the luxurious lifestyle by mimicking a rap artist music video. ​

"We Made It" won a Richmond Ad Show Cannon Ball 

Other team members: Tori McGoogan, Stephen Shocket, Caitlin Hines, William Espinoza-Blanco