Start with a Damn Plan, Moroccan spice, and Matty Matheson’s fridge of dreams. ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏
Idle Hands

FROM THE DESK | ISSUE 007

 

FIELD NOTES | The real secret to good creative? Start with a damn plan.

Ever been stuck in a never-ending feedback loop, wondering how a simple logo turned into 37 emails and a slow loss of sanity? Yeah. Us too.

But here’s the truth: it’s rarely about being indecisive. More often, it’s because the direction wasn’t actually clear in the first place.

That’s why we always start with our Blueprint. It’s our way of getting aligned before anyone opens Illustrator. Together, we get deep on the good stuff: your voice, your values, the story that makes your brand what it is (and none of what it isn’t). Then we bring it to life visually with moodboards, type, textures, and reference points that actually mean something.

This isn’t just an inspo dump. It’s the moment you look at the direction and say, “Oh hell yes, that’s the one.” The Blueprint takes the guesswork out of the creative process. No assumptions. No surprises. No “circling back.” Just clarity, alignment, and a creative process that doesn’t make anyone want to fake a Wi-Fi outage.

We’ll be doing a deeper dive into how our Blueprints actually come to life over on Instagram in the coming weeks, sharing real examples and behind-the-scenes process from recent projects. If you’re curious how this all translates to the work we send out into the wild, give us a follow and come along for the ride.

 FOLLOW ALONG 
 

FRESH OFF THE DESK | Classic, with a Little Bite

We teamed up with Studio Circa to help bring a new chapter of an old classic to life: Am Sallem, a well-loved Montreal establishment expanding into the deli space.

The brief? Keep it feeling refined, but with roots. Something that walked the line between clean, luxury design and that unmistakable handmade charm. Just our cup of tea.

We wove in nods to their Moroccan heritage with a traditional signage-style typeface and layered in script and badge elements to give the system a little more soul. It’s polished, but with warmth. Elevated, but still grounded.

The product of that blend is an identity that feels like it’s been around forever, in the best way.

After we wrapped our phase, the team at Studio Circa took the reins and made a few final tweaks, including a name change to Fin Gourmet sur L'Avenue. What we’re sharing is where we left things: a refined, heritage-rich identity we’re still proud to have helped shape. You can check out the full project through the link below.

 VIEW PROJECT 
 

ON OUR RADAR | Label envy, activated.

We’re not sure what we want more: wanting to buy this for the food, or purely for the packaging.

Matheson Food Company, the brainchild of chef Matty Matheson, teamed up with Wedge to create a system that’s somehow both humble and full of swagger. Bold type, stripped-back layouts, and enough color-coding to make your pantry feel like a design exhibit.

This one’s a masterclass in brand-world building. Every single touch point is DIALLED. It nails that tricky balance of feeling classic without being dusty. Simple without being boring. Cohesive without being repetitive. Playful without getting chaotic. And it just looks really, really damn good.

Like something your grandparents would've trusted, but your design-nerd friend would still post on their Story. Total shelf standout. 10/10 would buy for the label, and honestly, we’ve got no doubt what’s inside tastes just as good as it looks.

Wanna nerd out some more, or just make yourself hungry? Check ‘em out below.

 CHECK ‘EM OUT 
 

That’s a wrap from our end of the desk. If this gave you a spark, a smirk, or just something better to read than your inbox spam folder, we’ll call it a win.

See you next Monday, same time, same inbox. Until then, keep it creative (and hydrated).

Rory & Suz

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Idle Hands Design Studio
The Shoffice
Fernie, BC
Canada

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