Have you ever seen a brand and thought, ‘I wish I could create something like that’? Us too! That’s why we’re peeling back the layers of our favorite brands to uncover what makes them stand out and using Dropmark to turn them into creative inspiration fuel.

The RSPCA launched a rebrand in 2024, marking a significant shift in tone from clinical and institutional to warm, clear, and emotionally intelligent. Designed by Jones Knowles Ritchie (JKR), the new identity keeps the organization’s legacy while making it more approachable for the next generation of animal lovers.

With Dropmark, we reverse-engineered the brand to a moodboard to understand what’s at work here: how typography, color, UI, and symbolism work together to create a system that’s gentle but purposeful.

Here’s how it all comes together:

Color palette
The new palette is vibrant but grounded. A deep navy remains true to the original identity, signifying trust in the brand. It’s now paired with brighter, more energetic shades of blue and pops of coral and cream, bringing a human touch to a space often dominated by institutional coldness. The balance creates a tone of reassurance and compassion, not clinical distance.

Typography
We’re always fans of custom type, and for this project, JKR introduced a custom sans-serif typeface with soft terminals, generous spacing, and rounded corners. The result is compassionate, accessible, and contemporary. It works great across print and digital touchpoints. Strong yet clear and kind, it feels like a key shift for a brand rooted in care.

Symbol
One of the most recognizable updates is the new logo shape. It retains the familiarity of the old logo but strips away the noise—now soft, geometric, and adaptable. It functions as a standalone mark or inline with text, appearing across signage, social media icons, and mobile UI. Flexible across digital, print, and signage, it reinforces brand recall while adding visual charm.

UI decisions
The live RSPCA website embodies the brand’s values through practical and purposeful UI. In contrast to the warmth generated by the typeface and color palette, there are no rounded buttons or exaggerated flourishes here—just solid, accessible interface decisions.

• Square or slightly radiused buttons

• High-contrast color pairings for readability

• Simple top navigation and CTA hierarchy

• Large, legible text and clean layouts

• Mobile-friendly without feeling templated

Photography
Photography across the brand avoids stock clichés. Instead, it focuses on candid, in-between moments, animals in safe spaces, and people connecting through care. Line illustrations add playfulness without becoming overwhelming, supporting content rather than distracting from it.

Build your breakdown
We used Dropmark to collect references and dissect how each design choice supports the RSPCA’s mission. You can see our full moodboard here.

Want to try it yourself? Find a brand you admire, start a collection, and break down what’s working—from type choices to layout systems. Reverse engineering is a great way to sharpen your eye, and Dropmark makes it simple to stay organized while you do it.

By breaking down brands into their key elements, we can return to these inspirational collections for future projects (It also doubles as a creative exercise if you feel stuck). This spin on inspiration hunting takes the pressure off of a blank page. It allows you to explore what makes designs resonate with you instead of forcing gold from your pen when the ink feels dry.

We hope you enjoyed this edition of Reverse Engineered. If this type of project inspires you, we hope you make your own! Go take a look at our collection to explore further, or get started on your own! Let us know if you’ve got a suggestion for who we should reverse engineer next!

A practical guide to planning, running, and wrapping up collaborative sessions using Dropmark.

Running workshops can be chaotic. Between scattered tools, last-minute changes, and trying to keep everyone (remote and in-person) engaged, it’s easy for collaboration to fall flat.

At Dropmark, we’ve learned that visual organization and real-time feedback make all the difference. Whether you’re leading a team brainstorm, client kickoff, or community design session, Dropmark can help you keep everything in sync before, during, and after the event.

1. Plan with shared collections

Start by creating a collection to house all your prep materials:

• Agenda or outline (add as a text item or PDF)

• Reference links, moodboards, inspiration

• Prototypes or Google Docs for pre-reading

Tip: Use stacks to organize by session or topic, and invite collaborators early so they can explore the materials at their own pace.

2. Keep everyone on the same page

During the workshop, use Dropmark as a central hub:

• Share screens with the collection open so everyone sees the same visual cues

• Use Reactions for quick gut checks on design ideas

• Let remote participants drop their thoughts in as comments or annotations

Dropmark’s clean, visual layout helps minimize tool fatigue, allowing you to focus on the content, not the logistics.

3. Capture feedback and wrap it all up

Instead of exporting decks or losing insights in Slack threads:

• Add post-session summaries right to the collection

• Use comments and reactions to capture feedback

• Export or duplicate the collection for archiving or next steps

It becomes a living record of your session, which the team can refer to at any time.

Tips to try

• Use descriptive titles and emojis in sections to guide the flow

• Add privacy settings so clients see only what they need

• Turn on notifications to keep everyone updated during the event

For AJ Camara, design has always been less about following a traditional path and more about following the impulse to build. A self-taught designer and lifelong artist, AJ’s career has spanned digital products, physical goods, and services, with a common thread being his drive to express ideas and solve problems through making.

Over the past 15 years, that instinct evolved into something larger: helping others bring their own ideas to life. “I eventually discovered that I enjoyed helping people launch their businesses just as much as building my own,” he says. That realization led him to start Digital Flagship, a creative studio focused on designing web experiences that are just as thoughtful as they are strategic.

AJ’s approach to design is grounded in empathy and clarity. Whether he’s working with a brand-new founder or an established team, he begins every project by aligning around people and goals, not pixels. “Everything starts to fall into place from there,” he explains. But when it’s time to move into the visual stage of a project, AJ knows that traditional UX practices don’t always resonate with stakeholders. Instead, he prefers a more hands-on approach, curating examples of real, live websites to show layout ideas or features, giving clients a clear sense of where things are headed. This collaborative approach isn’t just efficient; it’s inclusive. It invites clients into the process in a way that feels accessible and empowering.

That’s where Dropmark comes in. “I use Dropmark at the beginning of a project to build alignment,” AJ says. “It’s like a more functional version of moodboarding.” He collects live websites, UI details, and layout references into collaborative Dropmark collections that clients can interact with directly. It helps to get clients on the same page more quickly and supports design decisions with tangible examples. Outside of client projects, he also uses Dropmark as a personal inspiration library, organized by categories like e-commerce, editorial, and agency work, so fresh ideas are always within reach.

The inspiration for AJ and his work doesn’t just come from the web. It shows up in analog spaces, such as bookstores, packed with bold typography and innovative layouts, or through the work of young designers who aren’t afraid to take risks. “I’ve been really inspired by designers who are experimenting in ways that feel fresh and fearless,” AJ says. “I try to stay tapped into that energy when I’m starting something new.”

As for inspiring others, AJ is a mentor who spends time encouraging emerging designers to focus less on being unique and more on getting good. “I think a lot of designers avoid recreating great work because they think it’s unoriginal,” he says. “But that’s how you build your skills. You’re not copying—you’re training your eye and your hands to reach a higher standard. That’s how real growth happens.”

When asked what he’s up to right now, he said, “There’s a lot of opportunity to help e-commerce brands grow with better design and smarter strategy.” Focusing on refining his offerings for e-commerce brands, a space he’s spent years navigating, is an intentional move toward depth. It’s the kind of thoughtful, behind-the-scenes work that makes his studio and perspective stand out.

You can follow AJ’s studio and their work at digitalflagship.com and check out one of his Dropmark collections for the 50 top DTC brands on Shopify for e-commerce brands looking for best practices and general inspiration!

Have you ever seen a brand and thought, I wish I could make something like that? Us too! That’s why we’re peeling back the layers of our favorite brands to uncover what makes them stand out, and using Dropmark to turn them into creative inspiration fuel.

There’s something magical about how Base Design captured the boldness of matcha culture in the branding for 12 Matcha, a high-end take on the ceremonial tea. It’s part fashion label, part ritual, part design playground. We couldn’t resist breaking it down.

With Dropmark, we pieced together a reverse-engineered moodboard to understand what’s at work here: the balance of sharp serif and soft minimalism, the editorial feel mixed with the vivid green that’s as much about the product as it is about power.

Here’s what we noticed:

Color Palette: 12 Matcha’s color story is deceptively simple. The vivid matcha green is the star, used sparingly but powerfully to evoke freshness, energy, and purity. It’s not just a nod to the product, but a declaration of intent. Surrounded by a disciplined palette of tones that give the brand a modern edge, the overall effect is clean but not sterile, elevated without being flashy.

Typography: More often seen in typewriter manuals or academic footnotes than high-end branding, the monospaced serif typeface feels just like the matcha preparation itself: precise, controlled, and intentional. The fixed-width spacing gives everything an orderly, measured rhythm, reinforcing the brand’s tone of ritual and repetition.

Photography: Continuing the balancing act between soft minimalism and strong negative spaces, the photography for 12 Matcha remains impactfully minimal with deep and thoughtful shadows, macro shots, and a shallow depth of field.

Texture: Beyond typography and layout, 12 Matcha’s identity excels through texture in its use of gradients, sometimes animated, that feel meditative. Visually, the gradients have a grainy, tactile texture echoing powdered, creating depth and softness.

Packaging: The brand stays rooted in intentional design, even with packaging. Through the use of partially telescopic boxes printed with the brand’s green gradient and made from strong and rigid materials, 12 matcha brings an elegant and editorial feel to the tradition of matcha.

By breaking down brands into their key elements, we can return to these inspirational collections for future projects (It also doubles as a creative exercise if you feel stuck). This spin on inspiration hunting takes the pressure off of a blank page and allows you to explore what makes designs resonate with you instead of forcing gold from your pen when the ink feels dry.

We hope you enjoyed this edition of Reverse Engineered. If this type of project inspires you, we encourage you to make your own! Simple takeaways are to analyze colors, fonts, and imagery from brands you love and experiment with these elements in your work.

Take a look at our collection to explore further, or get started on your own! Let us know if you’ve got a suggestion for who we should reverse engineer next!

Spring cleaning, April showers, may flowers…it’s a time for fresh starts.

Now that spring is finally in full swing, we’re ready to shake off the winter blues. As designers ourselves, we couldn’t think of a better way than to spring clean some of our collections and check out some of the most popular fonts making waves right now. We’re talking bold choices, nostalgic nods, and delightfully quirky lettering.

And yes, we’re sharing the collection that’s keeping them all in one beautifully organized place.

Without further adieu…

1. High-Contrast Serifs
Elegant serifs with pronounced contrast are returning, especially in editorial and luxury branding. These fonts exude sophistication and are optimized for screen readability.

2. Ultra-Modern Sans-Serifs
Minimalist and geometric sans-serifs are hot in UI design, offering clarity and a contemporary feel. Their clean lines make them ideal for digital interfaces.

3. Retro Nostalgia
Fonts inspired by the ’70s and ’90s resurface, bringing a sense of familiarity and warmth. These typefaces are perfect for projects aiming to evoke nostalgia.

4. Brutalist Typography
Characterized by bold, oversized letters and raw aesthetics, brutalist fonts are trending to make strong visual statements.

5. Custom Lettering
Handcrafted typefaces are on the rise, allowing brands to showcase uniqueness and authenticity in their designs.

Explore the complete Dropmark collection here.

Curious about how other designers are using these fonts? Or want help us build a typography moodboard? Let us know!

Communication is everything during the creative process, whether you’re building a brand, designing a website, or choosing visuals for your campaign. All too often, our feedback gets lost in email chains, buried in Slack threads, or misread later from your frantic Zoom notes. Annotations on Dropmark can help keep it all clear!

Annotations + collaboration = clarity

Annotations let you leave feedback directly on your images, pinpointing what you’re talking about. You know how tricky feedback loops can be if you work with clients. They might not speak your design language, and you might not have time to translate vague requests into actionable changes. With annotations, clients can click and comment on the exact spot they want to be adjusted—no guesswork, no confusion. It’s a win-win: they feel heard, and you get unambiguous direction.

Beyond client work, annotations are also an excellent tool for internal teams. Working with copywriters, developers, or strategists? Now, everyone can share their input in one centralized space. Add a comment, tag a teammate, and keep the conversation in context.

How to use

Open your image inside your Dropmark collection, click the comment icon and then annotate to start marking. Point to changes with the arrow tool, draw shapes with the brush, and highlight edits with the highlighter. Type in a comment, click to notify collaborators, and hit send.

Whether you’re giving feedback on a moodboard, reviewing a presentation deck, or finalizing social media assets, annotations bring your team (and your clients) onto the same page.

Ready to try it?

You can use annotations today if you’re already on a Solo or Team plan. Just open a collection to drop your thoughts right where they count.

Not on a Solo plan yet? Learn more about upgrading and unlocking collaborative features that make your creative process smoother, sharper, and more intuitive.