Cedar Room is a nightclub and private event space located in the Ballard neighborhood of Seattle, WA. It stands out from traditional nightlife spaces with tasteful accents of cedar paneling and river rock, paying homage to Ballard's history as the cedar wood export capitol of the world.
Having previously worked with the ownership group on existing nightlife establishments, I was brought in during construction as the creative lead on naming, logo design, visual identity and brand strategy, as well as music programming, nightlife and sound spec consultant.
From 2016-2018, I held the position of Creative Director, which entailed graphic design, digital marketing and social media management. I was also the resident DJ and booked regional and national talent for the venue.
LOGO
PROCESS
The goals for the brand name and logo were to balance themes of music, nature, history and architecture, while maintaining a sense of place within the neighborhood and greater Pacific Northwest. The concept needed to be striking, but also legible for use on a wide range of mediums at a multitude of sizes. The simple thick-stroke tree icon placed within a forest of EQ waveforms checked our boxes and communicated the brand clearly and effectively.
Below is an example of my thought process through the various draft stages before coming to our final brand mark.
SOCIAL
MEDIA
Social media strategy centered around simple, modern designs in a monthly multi-panel grid format. Pop culture references, music lyrics and imagery from the artists and songs you would hear on the dance floor were utilized to effectively build a visual identity and brand voice that stood out among the clutter of traditional digital nightlife promotion.
This strategy, combined with the logo design and striking architecture of the club itself helped Cedar Room make a mark on the Seattle scene from the moment doors opened and the first song blasted through the speakers.
Click any grid image below to expand.
CEDAR
ROOM
Naming
Logo Design
Brand Strategy
Creative Direction
Social Media
Merchandise