Media and design for the next wave of brands.

How it started

Founded in 2016 by John Dough D'Angelo in Buffalo, New York, Case Study Labs began as a creative outlet — an open space to test ideas, build systems, and publish work without permission.

Today it expands beyond a traditional agency model — blending design, media, and product into a continuous output of campaigns, collaborations, and original work.

The original idea: "Objects and ideas, by me, my friends, and those I haven't met yet." That's still it.

John Dough D'Angelo

25 years in sales and marketing. Cannabis since 2003 — before it was a category. 300+ cannabis products brought to market. 1,000+ websites built. Clients have included StockX, Taco Bell, Real Madrid, Snoop Dogg, and MGM Grand. Buffalo-born and still here.

I built CSL because I needed a place to think out loud and make things that mattered. The studio work followed. The cannabis brand work followed that. Then the tools, the collabs, the events. One thing leads to another when you stay consistent.

therealjohndough.com — if you're looking for the full picture.

Bill Brady

Art Director, Director, and Head of Visual Storytelling at Case Study Labs. Bill is a New York-based commercial photographer with decades of editorial and advertising work — and a chapter most people didn't know about until now.

In the 1990s, Bill shot cannabis for High Times under the pseudonym Billy Batz. Working during prohibition meant keeping a low profile — but the images were unmistakably his. He retired the persona in 1999, transitioned to food and beverage photography, and became one of New York's top commercial shooters. With legalization, he's back.

billbradyphotography.com

What we make

Brand identity, creative direction, packaging, and visual systems. Editorial output, campaigns, and content that functions as culture. Limited physical objects, tools, and original product. Cannabis and beyond — our lane since 2003.

We're selective about what we take on. That's by design.