Happy Monday Morning

Pouring coffee out of a pink thermos just makes Monday morning a little more enjoyable. (Especially when you're pouring it before 7AM. Ugg.) The hubs and I got a matching set of Stanley thermoses for our wedding 4+ years ago. Mine's pink. His is blue. Today, I'm calling them the gift that keeps on giving. (Thanks, Katey & Kyle!)

French Press | Print Ad

There's something striking about a well-done black and white print ad. Some might argue that if you need color to communicate then your message isn't good enough. I'm not sure to what degree I would agree with that argument, but in the case of this print ad for French Press, we've pulled it off. The ad is based on a promo piece we created to be used in-shop last year.

Client: French Press
Project: Newspaper Print Ad
Publication: Salem Business Journal
Art Direction/Copywriting: StudioM

Santa Claus is coming to town!

Yesterday I posted the new French Press coffee line labels. But there's one more! The Holiday Blend Label (see the sneak peek here). We modified the stamp logo to be a bit more festive (that was the clients' idea - I can't take credit, but I think it's awesome) and applied the UV spot varnish to it as well as to the reindeer. It came out really well. So well, in fact, I decided a bag of coffee with this jolly label was the perfect Christmas gift for several family members and snatched up a few. Now, off to pack up and head out for the holiday weekend! Merry Christmas, everyone!

Project: French Press Holiday Coffee Label
Client: French Press Roasters
Design + Art Direction: StudioM
Printer: Brown Printing

French Press Coffee Labels. Complete.

The French Press coffee labels are done! They made their debut at the shop in Salem the week after Thanksgiving. And they've received a warm reception. From most, that is. Mike Taylor, the boss-man at French Press, told me a funny anecdote last week when I went to visit: the wife one of the regulars stopped in to stock up on whole bean coffee, which happened to be labeled with the new designs, and when she got home her husband threw a fit because he was convinced she got coffee from the wrong place. (The bags used to simply be stamped, as seen here.) Once he calmed down and realized that in fact it was French Press coffee, his coffee, he was happy as a clam with the new label. Whew.

The only thing you can't see from these high quality scans is the UV spot varnish we had applied to all the French Press 'stamp' logos. See the light reflecting off it in the photos below? Yum.

Project: French Press Coffee Line Labels
Client: French Press Roasters
Design + Art Direction: StudioM
Copywriting: Jason Barnes
Printer: Brown Printing

The holidays are like one really long coffee break.

Therefore, French Press is coming out with a holiday blend; of course it needs a label....

 Which one did they choose? You'll just have to wait until they're done; they're on press as I type! (A whole line of coffee labels are on press, in fact. See the sneak peek post here.)

What won't be on the Bakery D'Amour coffee bags

Just like the last declined design post I shared, this work was done for Bakery D'Amour. And it's not that they're not going to sell whole bean coffee anymore or not put labels on their whole bean coffee bags....it's just that we have something else in the works that will do the trick. So for now, these are being archived into the StudioM declined design digital vault. But not before I send them out to blogger-land to be enjoyed. They need at least 15 seconds of fame.Stay tuned to see what we do end up slappin' on the coffee bags. It's going to be delicious.

SNEAK PEEK! French Press Coffee Labels

Well, it's been a year since I started working with French Press. They've made quite a name for themselves in the Salem area and are ready to start looking as legitimate as they are....with official coffee bag labels. Their whole bean coffee blends come in (approx.) 1-pound bags. To date, they've used a large custom rubber stamp to indicate the dark, medium and light roasts (as seen in the background of this image). And it's worked well, but as they expand their whole bean blend selection (and offer online shopping in the near future), they will need a better way to market their beans. Enter: StudioM. Below are the first round comps I presented to the team earlier this week. We're working on a hybrid, so sit tight and you'll see the final design when it's done. The goal is to visually portray the fine craft and fabulous flavors French Press has to offer...and get the coffee to fly off the shop's shelves! There's no reason it shouldn't. It's really, really good.

Bakery D'Amour | Opening Soon

I scampered down to Salem this morning.

My agenda included the following:

1) Deliver printed menus and business cards.

2) Decorate!

3) Drink a copious amount of French Press coffee since the Bakery is going in just next door.

4) Pick up some more French Press goodies.

Done, done and done. Oh! And there was a tapioca + strawberry crepe with real whipped cream from French Press to top it all off. Not on the agenda, but a necessary deviation. Here are some preview photos...

The architectural awning over the drive-thru.

Love the striking design.

An amazing French platter Fran Berry found to hang in the bakery.

I'm jealous of her shopping skills. Go, Fran!

Bakery D'Amour Wall Art by StudioM

Bakery D'Amour collaborative wall art by StudioM and Christine Zollner.

I could fit in that mixer bowl. I should have climbed in there to give you a sense of scale.

Bread-making requires serious tools.

Jay Farmen, the Bakery Boss-man.

Ladders and boxes soon to be replaced with tables and patrons.

Until then.....Au revoir!

French Press Goodies

The procurement from today's trip to Salem:

A pound of organic whole bean coffee from Peru.

Two matching mugs.

How could you resist that perfect little copper Eiffel Tower?

I couldn't, obviously.

And you can't have one lonely mug.

So I got two.

StudioM | Now Serving French Press

My office smells of coffee beans. Whether it's the breathing in deeply because of it or the coffee itself that's making my day oh so nice, I'm not sure. Either way, French Press is responsible. This morning I had the pleasure of visiting French Press in Salem, OR. They're one of my clients and a place I wish could frequent more than just visit. You see, they have extremely high standards when it comes to coffee. If and when you go, you'll never be served a cup of joe made from beans roasted more than 72 hours ago. As you can imagine, I wanted to pick up pounds and pounds of whole bean coffee, but just thinking of trying to drink it all within 72 hours for maximum freshness gave me the jitters. So I got a pound. Fresh is always best. 

But don't take my word for it. Get yourself and your coffee+crepe-craving taste buds down to French Press. Stat. Unless of course you're planning on stopping in at StudioM where you might just be able to convince me to let you in on the sort-of-true 'Now Serving French Press' offer. If I answer the door with the jitters, you'll know you came a moment too late.

Table cards we created to promote whole bean coffee.

I love a well-placed logo.

Landscaping is being done as we speak. Stay tuned for official Grand Opening information...

French Press | Menu

Click to enlarge menus.

French Press is going to give their patrons more than enough tasty options to choose from. I think I ate more while I was designing this piece than...well, than I should have, I'm sure. And none of my snacks came anywhere near the realm of goodness in which FP's offerings exist. Yum. (They'll have a website where you'll be able to purchase whole bean coffee in the future. I can't wait for that. Salem's just a tad too far from Vancouver for a daily fix.)

French Press | Opening Soon!

Click to enlarge images.

French Press is a coffee + crepe shop in Salem, Oregon. They'll be opening this coming weekend, so if you're in the area you must check it out. And if you're not in the area, you should make your way there! Yes. It's that good. I was invited to the Friends & Family night last night and had the best time taste-testing the California crepe...and then the Berry crepe...and then a latte...well, you get the idea. It was phenomenal.

I am considered a 'friend' at French Press because I've been working with them to developing all of the branding and marketing over the last six months or so. It's really been a blast. Everyone there is super knowledgeable and super fun - the perfect combo! Just like coffee & crepes. Hungry yet? Check out the menu while you're here.