Studio Notes
A collection of random observations we call Needmore Notes.
Why Ableton Is Thriving While Native Instruments Is Falling Apart
When you can spot whether a company is playing the long game or the short one, you know who deserves your business.
By Raymond Brigleb
Why Ableton Is Thriving While Native Instruments Is Falling Apart
When you can spot whether a company is playing the long game or the short one, you know who deserves your business.
By Raymond Brigleb
My Terminal Image Problem
Thanks to lots of weird innovations, the command line has become fun again.
By Raymond Brigleb
My Terminal Image Problem
By Raymond Brigleb, January 24, 2026
A 14-Year WooCommerce Journey From Day One to Pro Partner
From early adopter to keynote speaker to Pro Partner—our journey with WooCommerce spans the platform's entire history. After 14 years of crafting e-commerce experiences for coffee roasters, specialty food brands, and mission-driven companies, we've achieved WooCommerce's highest recognition. Here's how we got here and where we're headed next.
By Kandace Brigleb
A 14-Year WooCommerce Journey From Day One to Pro Partner
By Kandace Brigleb, July 15, 2025
Five Things I Learned Building a Coffee Tasting App (Again)
Rebuilding our 15-year-old coffee tasting app revealed how dramatically home brewing culture had evolved while we were designing for coffee businesses, teaching us valuable lessons in the process.
By Raymond Brigleb
Five Things I Learned Building a Coffee Tasting App (Again)
By Raymond Brigleb, July 4, 2025
SCA Expo Recap: Swiss Water®, Sum›One, and the Ultimate Coffee Celebration
Still buzzing from the Specialty Coffee Association Expo in Houston—revealing Swiss Water®’s vibrant new look, seeing our Sum>One packaging shine, reconnecting with coffee friends, and closing things out at La Marzocco’s unforgettable party.
By Kandace Brigleb
SCA Expo Recap: Swiss Water®, Sum›One, and the Ultimate Coffee Celebration
By Kandace Brigleb, April 29, 2025
Bingo! A Night of Stories with Literary Arts and The Moth
This week, we had the privilege of experiencing an unforgettable night of stories, laughter, and connection at The Moth, hosted by the incredible team at Literary Arts. It was an evening that celebrated the power of storytelling and its unique ability to bring us closer together through shared human experiences.
By Kandace Brigleb
Bingo! A Night of Stories with Literary Arts and The Moth
By Kandace Brigleb, December 11, 2024
Love Stories
We have the great honor of supporting this incredible group of writers, filmmakers, artists, and storytellers here in Portland.
By Kandace Brigleb
Love Stories
By Kandace Brigleb, October 15, 2022
Low Calorie Non-Alcoholic Orange-Bitters-Soda Surprise Recipe
Love a good Old Fashioned but taking January off the sauce? Ray's personal favorite replacement combines aromatic bitters, orange peels, sugar cubes, and soda water to create a sophisticated non-alcoholic drink that looks and tastes official. Complete with equipment recommendations, ingredient tips, and clever hacks for the perfect mocktail experience.
By Kandace Brigleb
Low Calorie Non-Alcoholic Orange-Bitters-Soda Surprise Recipe
By Kandace Brigleb, January 7, 2020
Here's to 20, Stumptown
In early 2001, our Creative Director was slinging shots and taking photos at the newly-opened Stumptown Belmont location. Your’e going to recognize some of these lovely mugs. Happy National Coffee Day, buddies.
By Kandace Brigleb
Here's to 20, Stumptown
By Kandace Brigleb, November 1, 2019
A Space of Our Own
As we celebrated our 15th anniversary, we decided it was time to create a space that would embody our aesthetic, celebrate our clients, and be a delight to spend time in day after day. After renovating a rough-but-promising space we'd been using on and off for a decade, we now have a minimal, modern studio plus an artist's room oasis. The result? Pure delight.
By Kandace Brigleb
A Space of Our Own
By Kandace Brigleb, October 14, 2019
Unpacking Coffee Brand Refresh
Sometimes you outgrow your own design decisions. Heading into Unpacking Coffee's Season 4, we realized we'd been avoiding our own chosen typeface (Galaxie Polaris) in favor of geometric fonts. The solution? Cosmica, a geometric sans from the same foundry that maintains our design skeleton while giving us the character we'd been seeking all along.
By Needmore Designs
Unpacking Coffee Brand Refresh
By Needmore Designs, May 29, 2019
New Podcast, The Double Shot
We've done it again, folks. Introducing The Double Shot, a new podcast where Raymond and I talk business, design, coffee, technology, and whatever else occurs to us as we trip through this beautiful world. From reluctant keynoting to maker vs. manager schedules, our first four episodes explore the intersection of creativity and business."
By Kandace Brigleb
New Podcast, The Double Shot
By Kandace Brigleb, December 21, 2017