Role
Creative Director
Practice Areas
Brand Strategy, Brand Identity, Event, Print, Campaign, Website
Challenge
Washington is the second largest premium wine producer in the United States, and for over two decades, Taste Washington has brought the industry together to celebrate the bounty of Washington wine with the people that make it what it is. We worked with the team at Taste to refresh the brand for a changing audience—bringing a more exploratory and food-inclusive approach to the magic of Washington wines.
Approach
To appeal to a broader, more diverse audience, Taste knew it needed to completely rethink its approach. Our initial research quickly revealed that while traditional wine enthusiasts valued the exclusive, premium aesthetic the wine industry is known for, a new, younger audience felt alienated by it. They saw the industry as intimidating, with an unspoken expectation that there was a "right" way to enjoy wine—a way they didn’t feel included in.
Our work set out to challenge that perception from the start. We reimagined the brand by stripping away the stuffiness and pretense of traditional wine messaging. Instead, we created a warm, approachable, and playful identity that celebrated Washington wine and food in a fresh, inclusive way—one that invited everyone to explore, enjoy, and embrace the experience on their own terms.
The updated identity positions Taste as a trustworthy guide to the vibrant bounty of Washington food and wine. We created a simple typographic wordmark that works as an anchor to the playful design language. The brand invites people to worry a little less about how they are supposed to enjoy themselves, and instead discover something new while they let wine and food transform their experience.
With the primary brand in place, we extended the visual system across the many individual events that make up the festival. A flexible suite of event identities all tied back to the primary brand in subtle ways, bringing an expressive range to the overarching design language.
Results
The cohesive visual system we developed has enhanced the overall festival experience. The flexible suite of event identities not only ties back to the primary brand but also allows each event to maintain its unique character while contributing to a unified narrative.
This approach has created a vibrant and inviting brand that celebrates the bounty of Washington's food and wine culture, inviting attendees to immerse themselves fully in the experience. Taste Washington is now positioned as a welcoming and dynamic celebration of the region's rich culinary heritage, fostering a community of wine lovers eager to explore and enjoy all that Washington has to offer.
Credits
Todd Arnold
Rachel Avallone
Alyson Burke
Chloe Fields
Lauren Heagerty
Kylie LaCour
Jess Lyons
Shawn Meyer
Lisa Oliver
Jerrod Philipps
Bryony Redhead
Stacy Westbrook
Steven Wise
Grace Young
Made at Owen Jones
