"Charlie Smith Design have worked on a multitude of projects for John Lewis Own Brand packaging across our Home and Fashion divisions. The variety and number is in itself a testament to how highly we regard them and their work. Our briefs are not always straightforward but Charlie Smith Design quickly grasps a brief and understands the importance of flushing out detail where there is ambiguity. They spend time thinking the brief through and their initial presentation will often include a structure page which plays back the brief. They generate a lot of work for the first presentation – exploring all the challenges and suggesting a variety of routes for development. We particularly value their flexibility – they are happy to listen to input from stakeholders and to give it appropriate consideration in design development. They aren’t frightened to challenge back if they think input is really off track, nor are they precious about their design if it is really not working: they always endeavour to find a design solution that succeeds and delights. We love working with Charlie Smith Design because they understand us, they understand the challenges we face, they understand our customer and they work very hard to produce beautiful design for every project they are given. They are collaborative, creative, clever and hardworking."