What is this?

Water Cooler is where Company Policy thinks out loud.

We’re a culture-shaping design studio founded in New York and based globally. We build brands for companies shaping arts, culture, and technology: the kind of work that needs to feel like something, not just look like something. This is where we write about how that actually happens.

Every issue is a letter, not a newsletter. A thesis, a principle, a piece of work, and a few things we’ve been looking at. Roughly 600 words. Twice a month. Written by our team, based on our experience building brands that break through feeds.

What do we write about?

Each issue brings the same five tenets to the table:

The Thesis: One observation that’s been living in the studio. A pattern we keep bumping into, a tension that won’t resolve, a question a client asked that we’re still thinking about.

The Policy: One sharp principle and how to use it. These are the things we actually believe, distilled into something transferable. Not advice. A standard.

The Artifact: How it showed up in the work. Not a case study; a moment. The decision behind the thing, not the thing itself.

The Culture Radar: Relevant cultural references that inspired our work or way of thinking.

The Point: Circle back to the thesis. Close it with a takeaway.

Who is this for?

Founders and creative directors building brands that want to break through feeds, communicate and mean something. People working in culture — music, fashion, arts, sports — who care about how their brand sounds and feels. Anyone who believes that how you make something is as important as what you make.

If you’ve ever sat in a meeting where someone said “we need it to feel authentic” and thought, “but what does that actually mean?” This is for you.

Who are we?

Company Policy is a senior, multidisciplinary team. We partner with founders and creative teams shaping modern life. Our work is focused across new launches, refreshes and growth chapters. We’ve helped build brands for over 40 startups and helped industry leaders strengthen their brand positioning. Our policy is to design brands that make you feel. Everything else follows from that.

→ companypolicy.studio → Instagram → LinkedIn → hello@companypolicy.studio

A few things we belive:

Our POV is to have a POV. Be clear, not complicated. Do the work, don’t just talk about it. Leave it better than you found it.

Why subscribe?

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The Water Cooler publishes twice a month. It's free. We only charge for our time, not your attention.