This project is password protected.
This case study contains confidential or unreleased work. Enter the password provided with my résumé to continue.
← Jake Jayakaran
SPRUCE / DESIGN LEADERSHIP
CONFIDENTIAL WORK
This write-up explains my work, decision-making and impact. Project imagery has been removed, along with confidential details, proprietary concepts and sensitive metrics.
portfolio available upon request
Leading design across Spruce.
Leading design across Spruce.
Leading design across Spruce.
Building shared direction. Adapting to change. Making the case for better products.
Building shared direction. Adapting to change. Making the case for better products.
Across Spruce, my work connected a shared physical design language with product development and retail execution. This case brings those programs together through the decisions behind the work: what to standardize, where to invest ahead of a changing brief, and how to build support for a direction the organization had not yet committed to.
Across Spruce, my work connected a shared physical design language with product development and retail execution. This case brings those programs together through the decisions behind the work: what to standardize, where to invest ahead of a changing brief, and how to build support for a direction the organization had not yet committed to.
01 / CONTEXT
One portfolio. Different decisions.
One portfolio. Different decisions.
Role
Design strategy & industrial design leadership
Team
Design, engineering, brand, research, manufacturing, commercial partners and an external design agency
Timeline
Selected work across the Spruce portfolio
Ownership
Design-language strategy and application; product form and size architecture; packaging and display concepts; design refinement and cross-functional coordination.
Leadership
For the design-language program, I managed two industrial designers and one intern, and led the external agency process as the single point of contact. Across the product and retail work, I connected design decisions with engineering, manufacturing and commercial requirements.
02 / CHALLENGE
Create direction under changing conditions.
Create direction under changing conditions.
Spruce needed to grow as a recognizable family while individual programs faced changing formulations, compressed manufacturing schedules and retailer requirements. Each brief called for a different response, but decisions had to serve both the immediate project and the wider brand.
03 / STRATEGY
Make the next decision clearer.
Make the next decision clearer.
Build shared principles, preserve useful options and make the value of a new direction tangible.
Build shared principles, preserve useful options and make the value of a new direction tangible.
The design language gave teams a common basis for judgment. Mini tested how that foundation could flex as requirements changed. Clubman showed how a physical prototype and consumer evidence could change the conversation with leadership and retailers. Together, these programs shaped how I balance direction, adaptability and conviction.
04 / DECISIONS
Three leadership decisions.
Three leadership decisions.
01
Align teams around principles.
Design Language — I established recognizable visual and ergonomic relationships before prescribing individual forms, aligning design, engineering and brand around a shared foundation. The tradeoff was slower initial exploration in exchange for clearer decisions across future products. Managing the internal team and external agency process made that alignment part of the work itself.
02
Invest in options before the next pivot.
Mini — Repeated formulation changes kept changing the required package volume. I developed a family of sizes instead of optimizing a single bottle, preserving the design language while adapting the architecture. That meant investing effort beyond the immediate brief. When requirements changed again, the additional configurations gave the business options and helped protect the retailer and manufacturing timeline.
03
Use evidence to earn commitment.
Clubman — I developed open packaging and a touch-and-learn display so shoppers could see the product and try the wand. Initial internal reception was cautious. Demonstrating the concept through consumer preference and retailer enthusiasm helped secure resources. I treated pack, tray and pallet as one system, protecting the parts that communicated the value as production and retail constraints accumulated.
05 / IMPACT
Results across the portfolio.
Results across the portfolio.
Outcome 01
Design Language established a shared physical and ergonomic foundation, reduced ambiguity during concept development and gave teams a repeatable way to evaluate future directions.
Outcome 02
Mini enabled multiple bottle sizes to move toward market, creating flexibility when requirements changed and helping protect an aggressive retailer and manufacturing schedule. The designs achieved strong consumer preference results.
Outcome 03
Clubman helped secure full-chain distribution at two major club retailers. The broader lesson was to connect strategic intent with execution—and make the case for the parts of the experience that matter most.