In 2014, Mike Wittrup and Daniel Rørbæk founded Barkas Studio, which operates between Copenhagen and Stockholm. Their work centers around the belief that anything can be designed, from brands to business models, and that when you cut through the clutter, you find the clarity that drives excellent design. Behind the scenes, their crew comprises folks from all walks of life, contributing to their deep understanding of what makes a successful brand.

We sat down with Barkas studio to learn more about what they are most excited about and how Dropmark fits into their workflow.

Where does your team gather inspiration for projects?

Basically anywhere. That can be a story, a piece of art, a walk in nature or feeling. It can be a memory or joke. What we look for in the beginning of any design process is an insight or singular and clear conceptual idea. From there we can start building the brand.

Currently we work a lot within culture driven global brands and organization. And at the moment how sport and lifestyle is fully merging is something we are very inspired by. Culture has always been about creating moments or experiences that bring people together around a topic, look, opinion etc. and nobody are better than uniting people than sports.

Can you tell us more about your approach to design solutions?

For us creating clarity is the core purpose of our work. In a increasingly complex world creating brands that have a clear and unified position and brand is key. So we want to ensure that each idea we create is sharp, purposeful, and impactful. We believe that clear ideas resonate deeply and have the power to inspire lasting connections.

Is there a particular project you’re most excited about currently?

Having the chance to work with a true icon in culture and synonymous with rock n roll and live music. That means, a new design system, full remake of marshall.com and a broader understanding of rock n roll in this day and age. We are still working with Marshall on a daily basis which is incredible inspiring and full on!

What do you wish more people understood about the design industry?

That it is not as sexy as it seems. :) For us it has always been extremely important to acknowledge that we alone cannot make a brand succeed. A bespoke typeface is great and might bring the exact distinct look that is needed, but to truly pivot, scale or build a brand you need to be strategically rooted and the classic design work should come after the creative position is clear. It should be an extension of your overall story.

How does Dropmark fit into your workflow?

We mostly use Dropmark during the research phase to find valuable references, resources, or collaborators for each project. We have all types of folders — Branding, Web, Video Mood, AI — so we don’t start from scratch every time a new brief comes in. Since different teams use it, we end up with a collective vision of what Barkas likes as a group.

We like that Dropmark lets you add a link and displays it as a tile with a preview of that page. We tend to remember mostly how things look like, so it’s practical when weeks later we are looking for that same reference again.

Lastly, just for fun, what’s the most interesting thing you’ve Dropmarked recently?

A Dictionary of Colour Combinations

Thanks, Barkas Studio!

We’ve all been there — a last-minute client meeting pops up on your calendar, and now you’re scrambling to assemble a presentation. When the last thing you have time to worry about is creating flawless slide decks, take a deep breath and open Dropmark. One of the great features of Dropmark is its ability to shift from an internal mood board to a client-facing presentation at the click of a button. In this post, we’ll look at the advantages of Dropmark presentations and how you can use Dropmark to stay ahead of those “Oh Sh*t!” meetings and get back to what you do best, creating.

Client work can present all sorts of challenges when sharing a work in progress, and in a fast-paced world, sometimes less is way more. It could make all the difference in winning a deal or maintaining client relationships. Use Dropmark’s intuitive drag-and-drop interface to start assembling content. You can refine your collections to suit the presentation style and client’s needs by changing the layout, toggling titles, or stacking relevant content. Dropmark also supports all media types, so you won’t have to think twice about what you’re collecting. Add collaborators so they can contribute in real-time even if you’re working remotely.

Add extra information to each slide using the description field, tags, or annotations if you’re a solo or team user. Descriptions and tags provide added flexibility, allowing seamless handoff to a team member or client. The ability to view context about the content in your collection after the meeting will keep stakeholders informed and engaged.

Did you also know that videos will autoplay in presentation mode? Let’s say you’ve got prototypes you have been working on and need to include, or you’re an animation studio, and videos are your bread and butter. Dropmark has got your back.

Ready to present? You can enter presentation mode by clicking on any item in your collection. Dropmark will then make the background black, giving you space to focus on that item alone without the distraction of your whole collection. Using the arrows in the top corner or the arrow keys on your keyboard, navigate through the rest of your presentation with ease.

Lucas Machado has an award winning multi-discipline design studio. His thoughtful design work is beautifully executed, blurring the lines between design disciplines and finding inspiration all around, even in the quiet solutions that are perhaps unintentional. We spoke with Lucas to learn more about his unique perspective on design and how design fields are not mutually exclusive but actually better off combined.

Where do you find your inspiration?

I’m someone who loves to walk, and every day I walk from my home to the studio, a journey that takes about 30 minutes. My ideas and inspirations take shape during these walks when my mind is clear and open to new possibilities. I pay close attention to my surroundings during these moments. Design is everywhere, even when a designer hasn’t consciously created it. Solutions are all around us, and I enjoy recontextualizing them through our design perspective.

Over the past year, I’ve started collecting records, influenced by my father. It’s a world of its own, and the album covers are fantastic, containing all the elements of design – typography, colors, grids, graphic elements, photos, and illustrations. One of my favorite covers is from the album Geraes by Milton Nascimento. The cover designer used kraft paper with all the text in silver hot stamping. It’s stunning.

Can you tell me more about your multidisciplinary approach to design?

I trained in product and graphic design, beginning my career as a product designer, creating furniture for an architecture firm. In some way, these themes have always been part of my journey. When I studied in London, my graduation project was on psycho-geography, a practice linked to architecture and urbanism. After that, I moved to São Paulo, where I worked at the ps.2 arquitetura + design studio, where both partners were trained in architecture and urbanism. We handled many projects involving visual communication in spaces, such as exhibition designs and signage. After São Paulo, I moved to Rio de Janeiro, where I worked with an incredible person, a 360-degree creative who was a designer, architect, and businessman.

When I decided to start my studio in my hometown of Curitiba, in the south of Brazil, I knew I wanted to maintain this connection with architecture and product design. And that’s exactly what happened; today, most of our projects are focused on visual communication for architecture and product design. In parallel with the studio, I run a graphic product brand called Colect, where I get to exercise my product design side. My favorite designer is Enzo Mari, who had a multidisciplinary approach, creating art, posters, objects, furniture, and exhibitions. I see myself on a similar path, not necessarily tied to just one discipline.

Is there a particular project you’re most excited about currently?

We’re passionate about all our projects! We’re fortunate to work on engaging projects with clients who are open to our ideas. I always see potential in every project, no matter how commercial it may seem. We currently have a catalog project we did for a local lighting brand, which has received honorable mentions and is competing for major design awards. We enjoy taking something that might seem mundane, like a product catalog, and transforming it into a piece of design that’s as special as the product itself.

In addition to this project, we’re thrilled about a large exhibition we’re working on that will take place in Japan. We are a team of designers, artists, and architects collaborating on this exciting event, and we can’t wait to reveal more details soon. Another area we started exploring last year is type design, which we’ve already implemented in two projects, including the exhibition I mentioned above. It’s a new field for us, but we’re excited to continue developing it.

How does Dropmark fit into your workflow?

Our process is divided into four phases – research, design, development, and launch. We use Dropmark during the research and design phases, consulting references throughout the exploration process.

We adopted Dropmark because we used to compile references in folders on our computers, but access was limited. Now, Dropmark serves as a comprehensive repository of references for the studio, accessible for any project. Although we still organize by folders and projects, it’s much easier to search and access everything using the search function and tags. Here at the studio, we have an extensive physical library of books, and Dropmark has become our digital library.

What’s the most interesting thing you’ve Dropmarked recently?

We have a folder where we save PDFs of old books we find online. These books are often nearly impossible to find physically and have been scanned and made available in the public domain. One of my favorites is the book Redux by fashion designer Raf Simons, which explores his work and design philosophy, highlighting his connection to youth culture, music, art, and fashion. Simons is also a great inspiration for me. On eBay, this book can be found for USD 1,250.

Thanks, Lucas! Find out more about their work here, or on Instagram.

We already know that Dropmark is an excellent tool for your creative projects…but what happens when your creativity becomes the project? Creative slumps happen to the best of us. Aside from throwing away your computer, moving to the countryside, and becoming a farmer, the easiest way to get over blank page syndrome is to engage in some good old-fashioned creative exercises. We’ve come up with a few ways to use Dropmark in your own practice, and well, even if you do end up moving to the country and becoming a farmer, you can still use Dropmark to catalog your seed library and plot out your next crop rotation.

1. Shake the cobwebs loose with a five-minute brainstorm. More effective than five-minute crafts on TikTok, set a timer for 5 minutes and create a Dropmark collection around a specific topic or idea you want to explore (e.g., “sustainable architecture” or “unexpected color combinations”). Don’t overthink here! Just relax and gather anything that grabs your attention in those 5 minutes. Review afterward and see if any unexpected patterns or connections emerge.

2. Try using the heuristic ideation technique to create a mood board based on two random or opposing themes/concepts (e.g., “futuristic nostalgia” or “urban nature”). Gather 10 images and blend them into a cohesive mood board. Share it with others and see how well the themes worked together and whether you effectively communicated your theme.

3. Reverse inspiration hunt! Start with a finished design or piece of artwork that you admire and reverse engineer the process by gathering materials that could have inspired it. Find images, textures, colors, and quotes that may have been used to inspire the final product.

4. Try storytelling through color palettes. Create a Dropmark collection of five to ten unique color palettes. Each palette must tell a specific story or mood (e.g., “the feeling of a rainy day” or “a retro video game vibe”). Use images, digital art, HEX codes, or objects that represent each color palette, and write a brief description of the story behind the palette.

5. View everyday objects through another lens. Pick a random everyday object (e.g., a chair, a spoon, a notebook), and create a Dropmark collection of innovative, artistic, or unexpected versions of that object. Try to collect a few items every day for a week.

6. Design trend explorer. Use Dropmark to track a specific trend from different industries. Create a collection featuring examples from these fields that showcase the trend and note how it is interpreted in various contexts. The resulting collection can give you insight into cross-industry inspiration.

7. Try a 30-day inspiration challenge. For 30 days, add one new item to your Dropmark collection each day, but it must be something that inspires you in a completely different way than the day before. For example, day 1 could be a photograph, day 2 a song, day 3 typography, etc. At the end of the month, review your collection and reflect on how diverse sources of inspiration impacted your creativity!

We hope you give some of these exercises a try! Sometimes, it’s hard to know where to look for inspiration, and we’ve all been there. And remember, if all else fails and none of the above works, we will still be here when you decide to become a farmer. 🌽

At charity: water, storytelling is more than just a tool; it’s the heart of their mission. The pioneering non-profit organization is committed to providing clean and safe water to those in need. Since its inception, charity: water has inspired over 1 million supporters to join its mission, resulting in the provision of clean water to over 18.6 million people worldwide.

We chatted with Cubby Graham, content lead and photographer extraordinaire, to explore the heartfelt approaches that drive charity: water and how tools like Dropmark help them document and share their impactful work.

What is the inspiration behind charity: water and its mission?

Charity: water is a non-profit organization on a mission to bring clean and safe water to people in need. When charity: water first began, over 1 billion people were without access to clean water. We’ve now had more than 1 million supporters join our mission and have helped fund clean water for over 18.6 million people. There are still about 703 million people that don’t have access to clean water, but together we believe we can end the water crisis in our lifetime.

Tell me about the creative process at charity:water. How do you all approach the projects you work on?

Our creative process is deeply rooted in relationships. It all begins with our local partner network, which plays a crucial role in our approach. These partners have developed long-term relationships with the communities where we work, fostering trust and connection over time.

When we start a new project, the first few days are dedicated to getting to know the people in the community. We immerse ourselves in their environment, listen to their stories, and try to understand their context. This initial phase is essential as it helps us build a foundation of trust. We believe meaningful stories can only be documented when we have genuine trust and understanding between us and the community members.

Focusing on relationships first ensures that the stories we tell are authentic and respectful. This approach not only helps us capture the true essence of the community’s experiences but also empowers the people we work with, giving them a voice in how their stories are shared with the world.

Creating deep relationships sets charity: water apart. How do authentic community stories help achieve your goals?

Telling and celebrating authentic stories has been foundational to our brand identity from the very beginning. We work to intentionally cultivate genuine community and connection by sharing individual stories that highlight the life-changing impact of clean water, making our mission tangible and personal.

It’s challenging to grasp that 703 million people lack access to clean water, so instead of overwhelming people with statistics, we focus on sharing individual experiences that connect with people emotionally and inspire action. By building trust-based relationships and empowering communities to share their stories, we connect supporters to the real impact of their contributions.

How does Dropmark fit into your workflow?

Dropmark has played a huge role in creating a centralized place to create collections from all the countries where we work, and empower our team, supporters and partners with access to photographs to help spread the word and support our mission. We visit our local partners a number of times a year, to document and capture stories of the impact that clean water is having on communities around the world. We’ll often return with thousands of photographs and dozens of stories. We love using the Stacks feature to make it simple and easy to locate all of the photographs for a specific story and keep everything organized for our team.

We love the minimal design and beautiful layout of Dropmark. It’s super simple and intuitive for people to use, which is extremely important to us since we’re often sharing links to collections externally, and we’re always thinking about the experience for our supporters.

Lastly, just for fun: What’s the most interesting thing you’ve Dropmarked recently?

One of the most recent things I’ve Dropmarked was a batch of 35mm film photos from a trip to Uganda. Over the past few years, I started to capture more film photographs during our travels as a way to continue to hone my skills and experiment with different storytelling mediums. On this particular trip, we had the opportunity to be there as our local partners were building a new water project, which is always an incredible honor and occasion to witness. This was a still from drilling day where the excitement and anticipation was palpable as people gathered to witness this historical community event - getting access to clean and safe water.

If you’d like to help make more moments like this or these possible, you can learn more at charitywater.org.

You can also find them on X, Instagram, Facebook, and Youtube

Half of the year is over, and if you’re anything like us, you may have gotten a little loose with the goals you set for yourself at the beginning of the year. We like to check in with our annual goals around this time and rearrange our expectations or set ourselves back on track. Dropmark is a super tool for creating, reviewing, celebrating, and planning your next steps with a vision board.

What is a vision board?
A vision board is a way to brainstorm and visualize a fresh perspective or inspiration for something you hope to work for in the future. Some positive long-term changes that come with creating a vision board and keeping it visible include increasing positive thinking, solidifying goals/dreams, and increasing proactive behavior.

While vision boards create positive feedback loops and encourage you to achieve your best self, they are not just a way to manifest. It’s essential to realize that while this is an excellent tool for envisioning what you want, you must actively work on it! Keeping up with your goals can be challenging, but Dropmark makes it easy to organize your thoughts.

How to make a vision board
Start with a theme for your board, whether that is a goal you’d like to achieve. Then, start gathering anything and everything that inspires you to reach those goals. With Dropmark, you can collect images, text from inspirational messages, videos, songs, and more to keep your eyes on the prize.

Vision boards are similar to mood boards we create for client projects, where we create a specific look and feel for future products. You can use vision boards on Dropmark within a team to achieve company goals or visions.

How to use Dropmark as a vision board
For personal growth or team goals, start saving items to a collection and add a description stating the objective.

Do you have multiple goals that fit within the same theme? Create stacks within a collection to keep track of them.

Whenever you reach a milestone or wish to check in, leave comments to remind yourself how far you’ve come.

Remember to add videos or music that align with your goals or can boost your mood and add to the positive vibes!

We made a Dropmark vision board to remind us to get outdoors on the bike more; check it out!