Home | Traction
  • Brand Strategy
  • Identity System
  • Package Design
  • Illustration
  • Verbal Identity
  • Digital Design

Mucky Duck Making the Moment

View Details +

Bold, sweet and little tangy, just like the sauce...

That means at times they are the life of the party, outrageous and over-the-top, and other times just the right accent note on the cheeseboard, not hogging the spotlight, but rather elevating the things around to their rightful place.

Close Details -
  • Brand Strategy
  • Naming
  • Identity System
  • Environmental Design
  • Illustration
  • Package Design
  • Verbal Identity

Cut & Run Coffee. Cowork. Cocktails. Coast.

View Details +

Great Lakes. Great Coffee.

Whether you’re stopping in for caffeine, a sense of connection, or a place to check things off your to-do list, Cut & Run offers an environment that encourages you to seize the day and set sail in pursuit of your next big adventure.

Close Details -
  • Brand Strategy
  • Naming
  • Identity System
  • Verbal Identity
  • Illustration
  • Package Design

Dream Machine Distillery Small Batch Spirits For Spirited People

View Details +

Where scientific rigor and artistic expression converge.

Why is it that the impossible is often determined by those too scared to go and find out for themselves? Not here, not at Dream Machine. In here, art and engineering collide into the kind of magic that is only possible when hardworking, fool-hearted people get down to business. So drink up, and dream on. Cheers to the next impossible thing.

Close Details -
  • Brand Strategy
  • Identity System
  • Print Collateral
  • Digital Design

Alzamend Neuro Making Alzheimers Just A Memory®

View Details +

Committed to Prevention, Treatment and Cure of Alzheimer’s Disease.

It is difficult navigating the five stages of Alzheimer’s, and Alzamend strives to provide hope to find a cure through the commercialization of existing patented intellectual properties.

Close Details -
  • Brand Strategy
  • Identity System
  • Print Collateral
  • Advertising

Martin Commercial Building Business Communities.

View Details +

Reintroducing a family name to Mid-Michigan.

Chosen to reposition Lansing’s real estate leader and one of its most visible companies, which was founded in 1962, we helped Martin create and adopt a new strong and highly differentiating brand.

Close Details -
  • Brand Identity
  • Campaign Design
  • Digital Design

Wieland Excellence In Construction.

View Details +

Highlighting the “Big Gold W.”

Wieland builds projects across the US and beyond. We built the brand that travels with them, because they don’t trust us to pour the concrete or weld the building frames.

Close Details -
  • Brand Strategy
  • Naming
  • Identity System
  • Package System
  • Environmental Design

Franklin Fields Free Your Mind

View Details +

Friends With Cannabis.

This large-scale cannabis cultivator needed an adaptive and expressive identity that helps them stand out from others in their market and beyond. Benjamin would be proud of their crops.
Close Details -
  • Brand System
  • Campaign Creation
  • Print Collateral
  • Identity Design
  • AI

Capital City Film Festival A Home for the Wild and Wonderful

View Details +

Highlighting a festival’s inclusivity and flexibility.

Lansing, Michigan’s annual, international multimedia showcase of independent films and live touring bands. As a founding sponsor, we’ve led CCFF’s branding and marketing activities, providing brand-new and original, award-winning campaigns each year since 2010. CCFF was recently named one of the Top 25 Coolest Film Festivals in the World by MovieMaker Magazine!

Close Details -
  • Campaign Design
  • Illustration
  • Print Collateral
  • Advertising
  • AI

Lansing Symphony Orchestra Annual Season Campaigns

View Details +

Reinvigorating the brand of a time-honored symphony orchestra.

We’ve partnered with this cultural cornerstone of Mid-Michigan for over a decade to grow attendance for and celebrate its broad and respected body of work, including its MasterWorks Series, Pops Series, Chamber Ensembles and Jazz Ensembles.

Close Details -
  • Brand Strategy
  • Identity System
  • Package Design
  • Environmental Design

Cravings Everything is better covered in chocolate

View Details +

If scratch made fudge, oversized ice cream servings and hand dipped everything doesn’t scream love, then nothing does. Served up in historic downtown Monroe, this little joint is sure to please.

Close Details -
  • Brand Identity
  • Environmental Design
  • Digital Design

Klavon's Pizzeria and Pub Handcrafted, Artisan Pizza

View Details +

Differentiating an upscale sports pub and pizzeria.

People flock to their nearest Klavon’s for the incredible pizza and other delicious, scratch-made offerings. Oh – and their staff? Nicer than a room full of kindergarten teachers.

Close Details -
  • Naming
  • Brand Identity
  • Digital Design

Marana Group Data. Documents. Distribution.

View Details +

Reimagining a 42-year-old logistics brand.

Headquartered in southwest Michigan, and serving clients worldwide, these problem solving folks can deliver 16,000 fresh apples around the country in days or get that dangerous car off the road faster than the apples can hit the ground from the tree. Almost.

Close Details -
  • Naming
  • Brand Strategy
  • Identity System
  • Illustration
  • Advertising
  • Campaign

The Botanical Co Enhancing Lives Through Cannabis

View Details +

Making cannabis approachable.

In an industry that can be intimidating for newcomers, The Botanical Co. has developed many locations to embrace the curious and the well-versed. Our flexible identity helps people find their fit for euphoria, focus, rest or more.

Close Details -
  • Brand Strategy
  • Identity System
  • Website Development

American Plumbing Craftsmanship Installed with Pride

View Details +

Positioning a service firm to fly above the rest.

Craftsmanship and classic American workmanship are foundational tenants for this growing service business. Developing an identity around a strong forward facing eagle differentiates this proud workforce.

Close Details -

Brave and creative.

Traction is an expert brand strategy and positioning agency. We help organizations differentiate by crafting remarkable visual and verbal identities. We’re a passionate group of creators who believe in the great power of curiosity and celebrating individuality through blending diverse experiences. We have become Mid-Michigan’s most award-winning and nationally recognized creative studio.

Our Expertise

  • Research
  • Brand Strategy & Story
  • Naming
  • Visual Brand Identity
  • Verbal Brand Identity
  • Brand Activations
  • Campaign Strategy
  • Design

Our Team

  • Camron Gnass, Founder, Principal, CD
  • Gerald Westlund, Associate Creative Director
  • Maggie Noble, Brand Designer, strategist
  • Irina Balyan, Designer
  • Nehal Challani, Client Services
  • Sofia Ricaforte, Developer

Select Clients

Updates

Saddleback Pod Seat

A chat with the founders from Saddleback and Traction on differentiating branding and marketing and when it makes sense to dive in!

07.23.2024 — Podcast
Hop on the saddle

Dieline Awards Shortlist

Recognized in a premier global packaging design competition showcasing exceptional creatives and agencies shaping the packaging design industry.

04.08.2024 — Awards
Don't Pass the Mustard

A couple choices

Best in show and two judges choice awards cap the ADDYs haul.

02.22.2024 — Awards
Music, Mustard & More