Featured image for The Great Lemonation Imagination Collaboration

The Great Lemonation Imagination Collaboration

by Barbara Zandvliet on 09/10/2014 | 6 Minute Read

Editorial photograph

Brand agency CBX collaborated with 826NYC, an organization that helps under-resourced students in New York, to create design and packaging for a tropical oasis-style lemonade stand in New York City. The project was part of a special collaboration to support 826NYC's project-based learning format. 

Editorial photograph

For two months, students and agency creatives developed concept and design for the ‘Sweet ‘n Sour Chillville’ lemonade stand. The goal of the project was to spread the word about 826NYC's mission while giving children of the program, who range in age from nine to 12, the chance to work side-by-side with the CBX creative team on everything from the naming of the business to the design of the logo, stand, signage, product packaging, and uniforms.  

The stand was unveiled at Manhattan’s Flatiron Plaza on August 20, and 11 students from the organization interacted with the public, collecting donations and sharing the organization's mission with their customers. The effort raised nearly $3,000 for the Brooklyn-based organization.

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Under the students’ vision, the  10-ft. by 20-ft. installation was designed to resemble “a tropical oasis hidden in the heart of New York City’s steamy concrete jungle,” complete with a treasure chest cooler for the product, palm trees, towering Easter Island statues, flamingos, penguins, a misting system, and “Welcome to Paradise” signage. Information on the project and 826NYC was provided on a TV monitor and additional signage. 

“The lemonade stand was a great opportunity for our students to not only learn about how to tell a story through branding with the folks at CBX, but to also lend their voice to why 826NYC is so important,” noted Joshua Mandelbaum, executive director of 826NYC. 

826 founder Dave Eggers added: “As a project-based learning center, 826 has always tried to focus on making things whereby the students feel like their work has real-world application. Having the students plan with the professionals at CBX, execute and then interact with the general public in Flatiron Plaza is an experience that will have a profound effect on these young people.”

“Our purpose in taking part in this project was to energize the young creative minds of 826NYC and to enable them to see that their imaginations can be realized in a meaningful and tangible way,” said Gregg S. Lipman, Managing Partner of the Manhattan-based CBX. “We wanted them to experience how gratifying it is to come up with an amazing idea and see it come to life.  I'm proud that CBX was able to make a difference in these kids’ lives, and we will continue to work with the organization in the future. It was a unique and fulfilling experience for the entire CBX staff, and a cool reminder as to why we are in the creative business in the first place.”

826NYC is a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping under-resourced students, ages 6-18, strengthen their writing skills and improve their academics through evening and weekend workshops, afterschool tutoring, in-schools projects, and creative writing field trips.

Along with CBX, two New York City firms, Big Apple Visual Group and Suite Spot lent their services on a pro-bono basis.  


Designed by: CBX, 826NYC

City: New York

Country: U.S.A.