Shared Vision: How Self-Promotional Design Strengthens Brand Development in a Modern Branding Studio

In the world of brand development, there’s a quiet truth that every seasoned creative eventually learns: the strongest brands aren’t built only through client work. They’re built through what you choose to create when nobody is asking for it.

At 63 Visual, our studio is rooted in a belief that great design should do more than look good, it should communicate values, reinforce identity, and strengthen relationships. That’s why we’re constantly exploring ways to sharpen our craft and deepen our point of view through in-house projects, experimental print pieces, and self-initiated campaigns.

One of our favorite recent examples of this mindset is an in-house seasonal drop titled Shared Vision: a limited edition sunglasses package designed as both a product release and a statement of gratitude. It’s a small release, but it carries a big message: relationships matter, and the way we communicate that message is part of our studio’s brand. This project highlights how thoughtful self promotional design can double as high-level branding strategy showcasing your capabilities while reinforcing your purpose.

In-House Projects in Brand Development

A strong brand isn’t something you “design” once and move on from. Brand development is ongoing. It’s a living system made of choices, the voice you use, the visual decisions you repeat, the details you obsess over, and the standard you set when no one is grading you.

For a branding studio, in-house work plays a unique role in this process. It helps you:

• Define your identity through action
• Explore new design directions without client constraints
• Build portfolio pieces that reflect what you want to do more of
• Strengthen your studio’s internal brand culture
• Create “proof of craft” that attracts aligned clients

In-house projects become both a creative training ground and a branding tool. If executed correctly, they can rival client campaigns in impact. Shared Vision was designed with that exact intention.

A Limited Edition Product Rooted in Gratitude

Shared Vision is a limited seasonal drop featuring custom 63 Visual sunglasses, developed as an elevated self-promotional product offering. But beyond the product itself, the deeper goal was to spotlight the value of community and long-term partnership: a core pillar of our studio brand. We’ve been fortunate to work with incredible clients, collaborators, printers, fabricators, and friends. Over the years, those relationships have shaped the studio as much as the work has. Shared Vision was created as a tangible “thank you.” A physical reminder that we don’t take those partnerships lightly.

Instead of writing a generic social media caption or sending out another email blast, we asked:

What if gratitude was designed like a premium brand experience?

That idea turned into a complete packaging system built around message, detail, and physical presence.

The Role of Packaging Design in Self-Promotional Branding

Packaging is one of the most powerful brand tools available because it communicates by delivering an experience.

For this project, we approached the sunglasses drop the same way we would approach a consumer brand launch: with intention, hierarchy, and premium tactile design.

The complete Shared Vision package includes:

• Limited edition sunglasses
• Microfiber carrying case
• Custom branded storage box
• Enamel pin
• Hand-numbered edition card
• Sticker

It was built to feel like a collectible, like something that belongs in a brand world.

In print design and packaging, the difference between “stuff” and “experience” is made through details:

• Paper stock selection
• Printing method
• Layout discipline
• Finishing touches
• The feeling of opening and holding the piece

These are the small decisions that separate premium branding from generic promotional material.

Print Design as a Branding Tool

There’s a misconception that print is secondary, that branding lives online and print is just supporting material. In reality, print design is one of the most immediate ways to communicate legitimacy, especially for service businesses and studios. Print is physical proof. It’s hard to fake quality when someone is holding it in their hands. For this drop, we intentionally leaned into print design and production as a major part of the brand impact. The printed components were central to the entire concept.

One of the most meaningful pieces was the hand-numbered message card, which featured the written content included inside every package:

“We’ve been through a lot together, and one thing is for certain. We couldn’t be here without you. At 63 Visual, we value our relationships and would like to take this opportunity to thank you for being a part of our story. So here’s to you, and many more years of friendship.”

This copy is simple, sincere, and human, which is exactly why it works. It reads like the truth. And when brand messaging is true, it becomes a brand asset.

How Self Promotional Design Builds a Stronger Studio Brand

Most studios try to “market themselves” by talking about what they do:

We design brands. We’re strategic. We offer full service. We create systems. We tell stories.

But high-performing studio branding is built on what you demonstrate. That’s where self promotional design becomes so powerful.

A project like Shared Vision communicates:

• Your ability to design a cohesive brand system
• Your understanding of packaging strategy
• Your craftsmanship in print layout and production
• Your tone, values, and studio personality
• Your ability to create a premium experience

Without saying any of it. It becomes a “silent pitch” and in many ways, it’s stronger than a sales call because it feels genuine and unforced. It’s simply the studio doing what it does best.

The Best Branding Studios Build Their Own Brand Like a Client

Here’s a mindset shift that separates strong studios from average ones:

Treat your own brand like your best client.

That means giving your internal brand the same attention you give to external work:

• Develop campaigns and concepts
• Create merch and print collateral
• Build systems and visual language
• Explore seasonal drops and studio products
• Refine tone, messaging, and positioning

When a studio invests in its own brand development, it creates momentum internally and externally.

Shared Vision is a perfect example of this approach because it touches multiple layers of the studio identity:

• Craft
• Community
• Gratitude
• Story
• Detail
• Premium presentation

These are the values we want to be known for, so we designed them into reality.

Behind the Scenes: Collaboration Makes It Real

No great print project comes to life alone. One of the best parts of Shared Vision was partnering with @printjax to bring the package to life. Print is where design becomes real and where many projects either succeed or fail. Having trusted production partners makes all the difference, especially when executing multi-piece packaging systems with hand-numbered elements and consistent quality.

That partnership reinforced the core theme of Shared Vision:

Relationships.

The same relationships we’re celebrating are the ones that make projects like this possible in the first place.

What Shared Vision Represents (Beyond the Sunglasses)

Shared Vision is a brand statement.

It’s the studio saying:

• We value the people who support our work
• We invest in details
• We care about craft and physical experience
• We’re building something bigger than individual projects
• We don’t take community for granted

And when those values are expressed through design and not empty words, they become believable.

That’s what brand development is ultimately about: aligning identity, messaging, and execution until the brand feels undeniable.

Final Thoughts: Gratitude Is a Brand Asset

In branding, there’s often pressure to be louder, sharper, more competitive, more “salesy.” But there’s another way to stand out: Be real. Be intentional. Be grateful. And design like it matters. The reality is: design doesn’t exist in a vacuum. Brands don’t exist in isolation. And studios are never built alone. Shared Vision is a thank you to the people who have been part of our story and a reminder that the best work often comes when craft meets purpose.

Here’s to you and many more years of friendship.