The brand starts selling before you do. That's not a tagline, it's something we've lived. Before a buyer meeting, before a pitch deck, before a single sales conversation, your packaging is already working the room. It either earns the attention or it doesn't.
We built Imaginaria on that belief. And we've been on both sides of it, as designers who've shaped the look of brands on shelf, and as a founder who built Zukali Mexican Gourmet from scratch and got it into Cnetral Market, Sur La Table, The Fresh Market, Whole Foods, Dean & DeLuca and Williams Sonoma. We know what it takes to win at retail because we've done it.
That's why our work starts with strategy. Not aesthetics. We dig into who you are, who you're for and what you need your brand to do in the market, and then we build something that looks the part and does the job.
Services
We work with founder-led CPG brands ready to move past DIY design, whether that's a startup proving product-market fit or a growing brand launching new products and outgrowing its old look. Every engagement starts with strategy, so the design that follows earns attention on shelf and builds trust with buyers.
Monthly Retainer Options Available:
Once we've built your brand and packaging through Refine, Rebuild or Relaunch, we don't disappear. We stay on to keep the momentum going, sell sheets, sell decks, social posts, POS materials, packaging updates, whatever comes next. And if you've already got a brand identity in place, whether we built it or not, we can start there too.
Cesar Sanchez
Founder and Creative Director
Cesar founded Imaginaria in 2002 and has over 30 years of experience in design and brand identity, including 20+ years focused on food and beverage brands.
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In 2011, he stepped out from behind the design table and launched his own CPG brand, Zukali Mexican Gourmet, landing it on shelves at Whole Foods, Sur La Table, Williams Sonoma, Dean & DeLuca, Central Market and World Market. He ran both businesses side by side for nine years before closing Zukali to bring his full attention back to Imaginaria. That run gave him something most designers never get: a firsthand look at what actually moves product off a shelf, and what doesn't. It's the experience behind everything he builds for the founders he works with now.
Dane Roper
Brand Strategist and Copywriter
Dane is a brand strategist and copywriter who makes sure the words carry as much weight as the design, positioning, brand voice and messaging that hold up from the first pitch to the shelf.
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He's the one who takes a founder's story and turns it into words that actually move people to buy, sharpening positioning, messaging and every touchpoint from packaging to pitch decks. When a project needs strategy and copy as sharp as the design, Dane's who Cesar calls.
Our Process
Discover
We take the time to really dig in on your why, your goals, and what you're actually trying to build.
Strategize
Good branding starts with business strategy, not the other way around. We make sure ours lines up with yours before anything gets designed.
Imagine
This is where the work happens. We build the logo, the packaging and the system, bringing you in along the way instead of disappearing and reappearing with a "reveal."
Express
This is where the brand comes to life everywhere it needs to, packaging, sell sheets, social, POS, so it feels consistent and unmistakably yours no matter where someone runs into it.