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Design Thinking: junedays


A woman in a striped tank top and jean shorts looking through yellow binoculars next to a junedays Big Cooler in New Navy. junedays describes the big cooler as  Our heaviest duty carry-it-all cooler was designed to be your organizational best friend when it comes to packing provisions for a day outside. The Big Cooler is both water-resistant and water-repellent, making it perfect for outdoor adventures in any weather.  The Big Cooler comes with 2 multipurpose removable cooler cubes, giving you plenty of packability and versatility.  You can place the cooler cubes in the freezer or fridge to ensure your goodies stay cooler longer.  Designed with an easy access U-shaped hatch so you can get to your food and beverages with minimal cold loss. Soft-sided and collapsible for easy storage no matter how small the space. Ships collapsed in netted bag. the product comes in 2 colors: navy or white.
Image courtesy of junedays

In Graduate School, one of the buzzwords professors love to discuss is "Design Thinking." Design Thinking is an iterative process in which we seek to understand the user, challenge assumptions, and redefine problems to identify alternative strategies and solutions that might not be instantly apparent with our initial level of understanding (Dam and Siang). Design Thinking enables companies to understand consumer needs to serve their audience better. For this project, I contacted different companies to learn how organizations applied Design Thinking. I spoke with junedays founder Nicole Verspyck to learn how her company incorporates its mission and vision into its products.



one man and one woman holding a bag with 2 Small Coolers (one in yellow and  the other in red). The company describes this product asOur smallest but hardest working cooler is designed for the grab & go small stuff, no matter your activity. Add an ice pack and use it to keep your beverages & food cold. Holds 8-10 cans. Perfect for when you don't need a big sized cooler.    Great if you have to sort food due to food allergies, or separate the kiddos food or drinks from the adult ones.   Assign a color so you can easily identify your picnic goodies for you and your guests. No more having to unpack the picnic to find that one item.    Versatile so it can be used as a dry or wet bag.     Collapsible for easy storage or to pack for a trip.   Great for car trips, boat trips, beach cocktails, summer campers, on the go and vacation travel.   So, whether you're headed to the beach, park, or a tailgate party, our Small Cooler has got you covered. It comes in 4 colors: navy, red, yellow and white.
Image courtesy of Junedays


1. What makes junedays different from other cooler companies?

Junedays products are designed to help anyone feel prepared and at peace on their own adventure. Our range of products provides storage and organizational solutions for people who lead an active lifestyle. Basically, we wanted our products to take the fuss out of packing for an outdoor outing.  Our products are modular and collapsible so you can build a system that can flex with your needs and space. They take you from your kitchen to your vehicle to your outdoor destination. They work in cars, vans, campers, RV's, and boats (power & sailboats) and are great to pack for a vacation or cruise. 

I like to think of it as a modern jump bag. I used to have a ton of tote bags and could never remember what was in each one, which led to unnecessary unpacking to find the one thing that was at the bottom of the bag. Our caddies allow you to see everything at a glance, so it is easy for not only you, but others to identify readily what they are looking for.  Our coolers are designed to fit inside a variety of caddies, allowing you to pack for yourself, 2 people, or a larger group. As I said, everything collapses for easy storage when not being used. 



Image depicts 2 navy big coolers and one yellow small cooler with 2 beach towels and a beige bucket hat with the company's name on it in purple font. The small cooler, " Our smallest but hardest working cooler is designed for the grab & go small stuff, no matter your activity. Add an ice pack and use it to keep your beverages & food cold. Holds 8-10 cans. Perfect for when you don't need a big sized cooler.    Great if you have to sort food due to food allergies, or separate the kiddos food or drinks from the adult ones.   Assign a color so you can easily identify your picnic goodies for you and your guests. No more having to unpack the picnic to find that one item.    Versatile so it can be used as a dry or wet bag.     Collapsible for easy storage or to pack for a trip.   Great for car trips, boat trips, beach cocktails, summer campers, on the go and vacation travel.   So, whether you're headed to the beach, park, or a tailgate party, our Small Cooler has got you covered" and the big cooler, "ur heaviest duty carry-it-all cooler was designed to be your organizational best friend when it comes to packing provisions for a day outside. The Big Cooler is both water-resistant and water-repellent, making it perfect for outdoor adventures in any weather.  The Big Cooler comes with 2 multipurpose removable cooler cubes, giving you plenty of packability and versatility.  You can place the cooler cubes in the freezer or fridge to ensure your goodies stay cooler longer.  Designed with an easy access U-shaped hatch so you can get to your food and beverages with minimal cold loss. Soft-sided and collapsible for easy storage no matter how small the space. Ships collapsed in netted bag."
Image courtesy of junedays


2. How has junedays evolved since its founding?

We launched in 2023 so we just passed the first year mark. Check back with us next year and we'll be in a better place to answer that. 



2 omen sitting on a towel enjoying food with their 2 small coolers and one big cooler.
Image courtesy of junedays


3. How does junedays incorporate its mission and vision into its products?

We started with what we felt was the biggest opportunity and challenge for any consumer product company - packaging. How do you share the brand ethos and eliminate unnecessary waste? Junedays packaging is minimal, and our boxes are made of up to 75% post-recycled material, the inner packaging is brown recycled paper. Our products are all packed in a reusable mesh bag, and we have used fabric remnants to make our signature pouch that we include with each order. 


a woman putting her phone away in a Tuckaway. A Tuckaway is described as Small and loose things can be chaotic, no matter what the space. Add your guests’ things to the mix and the chaos grows exponentially.   Phones can be left on boat seats to overheat, placed in the cupholders (not intended function), placed on consoles to inevitably slide around and potentially fly off, or secretly tucked away out of sight and then forgotten on the boat at the end of the day…making an inconvenient trip back to the boat and the added task of uncovering the boat.   Any of this sound familiar?   The Tuckaway Collection was designed to have a safe and visible place for all valuables; keys, wallets; phones; glasses and jewelry. Enjoy the calmness when people know they have a designated place for their precious things. Trust us when we say that the Tuckaway has proven its value time and time again.   The Tuckaway features four pockets, each with a colored woven tab to help you easily identify whose items are whose. Additionally, an exterior elastic strap is included to hold your sunglasses securely in place. Tricot-lined pockets ensure your items won't get scratched, and the water-repellent tarpaulin material ensures they stay dry.   Enjoy your time in and around the water with peace of mind, knowing your essential items are secure and organized with the Tuckaway. it comes in white/navy and white/black.
Image courtesy of junedays


Junedays is proud to be a member of 1% for the Planet. 1% of all gross sales goes to this organization. We are audited yearly by 1% for the Planet so our give back is factual. Many companies may have a give back based on net sales or net profit which can be very misleading. 



Image depicts a navy big cooler with various kinds of bottles (1 san palignro and 2 wine)
Image courtesy of junedays


Junedays is currently working on a campaign to offer up to 20+ camp scholarships to underpriveledged youth for 2025. Our hope is to be able to offer a camp scholarship for each state by 2026. 




4. What is the future of the company?

We are in the early stages of our launch and have a lot of work ahead in getting the junedays's name out in the marketplace and growing our audience. We have had some nice early wins, with Goop picking up one of our products for their gift guide and working with the Telluride Film Festival. We have some more exciting collaborations planned for 2024 and 2025. In addition, we have some new designs in the works. We are looking for steady and manageable growth. We want to be thoughtful and deliberate with where and how we grow in the years ahead. And at the end of the day, we want people to find our products useful and helpful in preparing for their juneday.



Image depicts 3 women heading to a boat with their Junedays products.
Image courtesy of junedays.

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Me on my first day of graduate school

Rachel Huss

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