Building the Creative System Behind a Growing Product Line
At Osmo, I led the creative team through a period of rapid growth, managing concurrent initiatives across packaging, product development, brand identity, marketing campaigns, and strategic partnerships. I worked with leadership to define the company's mission, vision, product architecture, and visual standards.
Osmo had launched as one of the first children's products ever sold in Apple Stores. As the company expanded into Target, Best Buy, Amazon, and retailers across 42 countries, the challenge was making the brand work across very different environments while staying true to how these products actually showed up in the lives of children and families.
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Repackaging for multi-channel retail Through research, observation, and conversations across sales, retail partners, and families, we identified a disconnect between Osmo's Apple-standard packaging and the reality of competing in toy stores, bookstores, and Amazon. Working with a small but mighty team, I led a repackaging and branding effort that expanded retail presence and helped move Amazon ratings from 3 to 5 stars.
Designing for how kids actually live with products Through research, we discovered families were keeping Osmo pieces in the original box on a parent's shelf, invisible to kids. We redesigned the interior packaging so children could organize, sort, and store their own pieces in their own space. Putting Osmo within reach meant kids could initiate play on their own, and even cleaning up became part of the learning.
Campaigns and strategic partnerships: I directed integrated marketing campaigns across TV, video, social, and digital, and managed creative collaborations with Apple and Mattel, keeping the brand identity clear even while working within other companies' ecosystems.
I led a repackaging effort that solved both problems: a system that competed on any shelf, and colorful interior packaging that let kids organize, sort, and store their own pieces. Putting Osmo on a child's toy shelf meant kids could reach for it on their own, and even the act of sorting and putting pieces away became part of the play.
Repackaging Strategy and Design
Osmo's original packaging was designed to meet Apple's strict retail standards, making it one of the first children's products on Apple Store shelves. As the company grew into toy stores, bookstores, and Amazon, the packaging needed to feel more playful and kid-friendly while still earning Apple's approval. Through our research, we also discovered that families kept all their Osmo pieces in the original box on a parent's shelf, invisible to kids until a parent brought it out.
Osmo iPhone launch
The packaging and experience needed to reflect that: easy to transport, kid-friendly to set up, and still recognizably Osmo. I led the creative direction across packaging, brand assets, and campaign materials, working to communicate that this was the same trusted experience in a more accessible, everyday format.
Osmo had built its audience on iPad, but most families owned an iPhone, not an iPad. The move to iPhone was about accessibility and meeting families where they already were. It also enabled portability, making Osmo something a family could take on the go.
Osmo + Mattel Launch
I led the creative direction across packaging, campaign assets, and retail presentation, working closely with both teams to protect brand integrity on each side while creating something that felt new and exciting for kids.
Mattel was one of Osmo's biggest strategic partnerships, bringing Hot Wheels into the Osmo ecosystem. The challenge was merging two very different brand worlds, Osmo's clean, tech-forward identity with Mattel's bold, play-driven energy, into a product and marketing experience that felt cohesive and true to both.
Product Launch Framework
Each launch followed the same structure while adapting to the product's specific needs. The framework gave a fast-moving team shared expectations and clear milestones so nothing fell through the cracks.
As Osmo's product line grew, launches were happening faster than the company had processes to support them. An early version of a launch framework existed when I joined, but it wasn't working across teams. I refined and formalized it into a strategic framework that coordinated product, sales, marketing, video production, advertising, and commercial shoots into a repeatable system.
Stephen Austin Welch
Commercial Director and Advertising Photographer
She is a leader by nature, yet in an inclusive way. As a creative director, she is not afraid to wear a lot of hats or get her hands dirty. She has directly influenced the success of every startup company she has worked with.
Karen Anderson Phillips
Colleague at Osmo and KiwiCo, Product and Editorial Director
Anne brings a savvy awareness of the marketplace and the latest design developments while keeping her focus intent on improving the consumer experience. Put simply, having Anne on your team will make your product better.