Hey, I'm Sondra
Design creative lead at Netflix — bringing IP to life through collabs, physical products, and the kind of storytelling fans can actually hold.
Content creator sharing my POV on coffee, brands, and culture — plus secretly nerding out on AI and what it means for how we build things.
Where I share what I notice — coffee shops, brand decisions, the spaces that make you want to stay. Not reviews. Observations. Why things work the way they do.
Strategic clarity for founders who are too close to their own work to see what should lead. A few hours. Plain language. Something you can actually use.
Longer thoughts on brand, culture, and the AI stuff I'm testing — written for people who think carefully about how things are made and why they land.
I've spent twenty years in consumer products — at places like Netflix, YETI, and Hasbro — doing the work of making sure the thing fans get to hold feels as good as the world it came from. Product design, brand strategy, IP storytelling, real estate, interior design. I'm still evolving, and I like it that way.
That same eye is what drives The Taste Edit. When I walk into a coffee shop and stay longer than I planned, I'm already wondering what choices made that happen. I share that. Not as advice. Just as what I see.
And somehow that's exactly why it works. Some experiences can't be scaled — that's the point.
Why the most serious espresso machine in the room is also the most beautiful — and what that says about how we value craft.
Some spaces work because they break the category rules quietly.
Adaptation that feels intentional, not like localization-by-committee.
The brand that wins by staying quiet. And why that's actually the hardest thing to pull off.
Over the course of my consumer products career — across entertainment, outdoor, lifestyle, and beyond — these are some of the things that got made.
Leaned all the way into the 80s for Season 5's final run — Coleman's heritage and Stranger Things' nostalgia are actually the same story. Made sure the collab felt fresh while honoring both brands' roots.
See the collection →Third collab with Maxbone, and we pulled every stop. Fashion-forward pet consumer, season 5 storytelling in ownable product — including scented waffle poop bags. Fashion-meets-fun, fully on brand for both sides.
View campaign →Bridgerton's Regency aesthetic authentically captured in a home décor collection. The kind of collab that works because the visual language is already doing the storytelling.
See coverage on House Beautiful →Tea sets, serveware, and entertaining products that let you host like Lady Danbury. The Bridgerton world extended into how people actually live at home.
Shop the collection →A Regency-inspired pet collection for fans who love both the show and their dog. Because if your dog's going to Rotten Row, they should be dressed for it.
Watch the campaign →A pet collection built around the show's storytelling and its pet-loving audience. When the fan loves the show and the dog, you win twice.
View on Instagram →Two universes already deeply intertwined — this collab made that canon in physical form. For the fans who already knew.
See coverage on Entertainment Weekly →Premium collector playing cards that brought the Upside Down to your game night. Theory11's craftsmanship met Stranger Things' obsessive fandom.
Shop Theory11 →A cross-IP collab that brought two massive fan communities into the same room. The characters translated — and so did the fandom energy.
Watch →Rebuilt the entire product line from the ground up, launching the Lightning Collection for collectors. Honoring heritage while reintroducing the brand to a new generation.
View collection →Design development for YETI's Wetlands Camo CMF series — authentic to the outdoors, true to YETI's quality standards. A brand expression that continues to have impact years later.
See the collection →AI, optimization, the systems behind the things that feel effortless — I've been testing all of it and writing about what I find. On Substack, it's less polished than a video and more honest than a LinkedIn post. If you're building something and thinking carefully about how, you'd probably enjoy it.
Read the AI post on Substack →A few hours. Plain language. A clear written read on your positioning, your offer, what should lead, and what's getting in the way. Something you can actually use — whether we work together further or not.
A standalone brand read. Written. Clear. Yours to keep.
Full positioning built out. Where most people get unstuck and stay unstuck.
Full architecture and systems for operators ready to build around a clear foundation.
Whether you're here for the coffee content, the brand strategy, or just someone who notices things — welcome. Pull up a chair.