Founder of John & Hackmann Co believes the market still has room to grow
João Francisco Hack, founder of John & Hackmann Co, is what you might call a “design craftsman”. With more than 15 years of experience, he has stood out in the Brazilian and international market, transforming brands and products with an innovative approach.
The 42-year-old gaucho is known for his freehand illustrations and the ability to integrate these creations with modern digital techniques. “Since I was young, I noticed a talent in myself. I always loved drawing and I was always self-taught in terms of drawing and art. It was a little out of the ordinary for a child my age”, says João.
His passion for drawing and art led him to study product design and graphic design at UniRitter, in Porto Alegre, followed by a postgraduate degree in branding and brand management at the University of Auckland, in New Zealand. After working as an illustrator and working for several agencies in Brazil, he founded Industria HED in 2010, an agency that quickly became a reference in Porto Alegre.
But it was in 2014, after selling his share in the previous company, that he took a bold step and founded John & Hackmann Co. “I wanted to make real everything I believed in, that I liked, everything that I saw that was very strong outside the Brazil, which was the root design, the actual design. Design means project, it doesn’t mean drawing. So my essence comes from the essence of design itself”, says Hack.
John & Hackmann Co. was born with the mission of rescuing the essence of design. “I like the artisanal process, I’ve always liked it. When I was going to develop something for J&H, I used to leave a camera filming, documenting the process. And I think this generated a lot of value for us, which attracted a lot of attention, due to the genuineness of the projects”, explains João.
The method of documenting each stage of the projects, from the initial sketches to the final product, gave a unique authenticity to his work, attracting international clients and partners, such as a London studio, with whom he collaborated on a project for Vodka Absolut.
Among other notable projects by John & Hackmann Co, João highlights the repositioning of the brand and redesign of the packaging for Neugebauer’s Neapolitan chocolate. “It was our first project for Neugebauer, we did it with the intention of showing the value of our work to them and from then on winning them over. This project increased the Napolitano’s sales volume by more than 40%. In fact, we revolutionized and innovated the product. And this guaranteed us gold in the ABRE Award (Brazilian Packaging Association) and bronze in another. Because of this success, we ended up closing another 10 deals with Neugebauer, always with the aim of innovating. add absurd value to their products”, celebrates the designer.
João assesses that the graphic design, packaging design and branding scene is at its best, that there is still room for growth and that it could also become one of the most promising professions connected to the future. “Design makes companies earn more, products sell more. A verbal narrative, a strategy and a very well done positioning, but without design, it cannot have strength and effectiveness. Design is tangibility, it is the projection of a strategy, of a positioning”, concludes João.
