Responses by Guillaume Hamon, founder, REJOUICE.

Challenges: Redefining manufacturing company DUCHATEAU’s narrative. Through our brand strategy phase, DUCHATEAU became “the first fashion house of interiors.” That’s a bold statement, but bold needed substance. The biggest challenge was the lack of assets to express that vision: No content. No story.

Time constraints: We move fast at REJOUICE. We are a global team leveraging different time zones and we cover 18 out of 24 hours. But speed wasn’t the priority here. The client wanted it done right—not rushed. Time wasn’t a constraint at all.

Alternate paths: We’d lead with content. That’s now our default—content before design. It’s not just a philosophy; it’s a process shift for us. We’re doing it now with an AI client in the automotive space and another in the hospitality world. Content drives real design, not the other way around. Placeholders slow everything down. Clients sometimes worry it’ll take longer to put design on hold until we get content, but we remind them of our mantra: “Slow is smooth, and smooth is fast.”

New lessons: Not new, but reinforced. Alignment is at the top is everything! These projects are emotional. Remodeling a brand is like remodeling a home: everyone has opinions, but the final call belongs to the owners. That clarity is what lets us craft brands that truly reflect the founders’ vision.

Favorite details: That's a tough one to answer. I suppose it’s that subtle something, the “je ne sais quoi” that you can feel but can’t always pinpoint. It’s the common thread that ties everything together.