Marriott

The challenge…

We partnered with Marriott's Marketing and Food & Beverage Development teams to lead a naming workshop, and we designing a brand identity for their new cafe located in the Downtown Waterfront Portland Marriott.

Naming process…

We established that the cafe was craft and locality-focussed and identified warmth and discovery as key customer experience components in this workshop. We discussed the benefit of reinforcing the location's "Purely Portland" positioning, and we explored the possibility of relating the name to the location’s existing dining venue, called "Proof Reader Whiskey + Kitchen." Ultimately, Marriott opted for "Press Release Coffee + Food," as it relates to the process of pressing the beans to release the flavor and fits into the existing naming theme.

Brand identity design process…

Based on the outcome of our brand positioning activities, we knew we needed the logo design to drive the feeling of warmth and the sense of craft so we opted for a hand-drawn approach. We designed the brand identity in consideration of the striking walnut, steel, and tile interior design details. The logo and mark's hand-drawn lettering adds warmth and aligns the in-cafe experience with the brand characteristics.

The impact…

Press Release Coffee + Food launched in May 2019 in the Downtown Portland Marriott and continues to thrive today. The brand identity has been applied to interior and exterior signage, travel and camping mugs, and F&B packaging including a collaboration with Water Avenue Coffee Roasters.

The team…

Rebecca Micciche: Brand Strategist + Creative Director
Zach Yarrington: Logo Designer
Thomas E. McCracken: Copywriter