CEO Ryan Snyder of Martin North hospitality hired Lookout to create a new brand architecture and positioning for his group of Cannon Beach properties: Surfsand Resort, Stephanie Inn, Public Coast Brewing, Wayfarer Restaurant. Lookout assembled a powerful creative team to reimagine each of the brands. Lookout art directed photo shoots across all the properties and developed strategic initiatives for the hotels, included a new Kids Club strategy and partnership promotions with Portland ice cream maker Ruby Jewel at the Surfsand, and the Stephanie Inn Sojourns guest experiences program at the Stephanie Inn.
Project teams included: Holly Macfee, Central Office, Jess Vacek, Sokoloff Creative (for Surfsand Kids Club strategy & Public Coast Brewing writing). Photography partner: Gregor Halenda
As the Oregon Coast’s creative partner over the past decade, Holly first developed the groundbreaking The People’s Coast brand while head of brand strategy for Travel Oregon, in partnership with her creative team at Wieden + Kennedy. The People’s Coast was inspired by the trailblazing 1969 bill that declared all 363 miles of Oregon’s coastline forever public, hence, owned by the people. When it was time to refresh the creative, Lookout infused the new look with an earthy, coastal palette and simplified the mark, keeping the whimsical whale’s tale and iconic 101 sign motif. Headlines with bold type disappearing behind lighthouses and sea stacks paired with vignetted photos draw the reader in to the coast’s wonder and mystery. Evocative headlines invite visitors to explore the coast on their own terms — “If you ever find yourself thinking the world revolves around you, come visit the Oregon Coast and think again.”
Team: Holly Macfee, Dani Guralnick, Andrew Dickson.
When it comes to Central Oregon, people have a lot of vacation choices. The problem is, they often drive right through Sisters on their way to Bend or Sunriver. Maybe folks have heard of Sisters or they think they know it – ”that cute, kind of honkey-tonk, Western-themed town with the saloon and saddle shops…”
They might stop for a soft serve at the drive-in or pop into the quilt shop for inspiration. But do they know about Shibui Spa at FivePine Lodge? Or the starlit wine dinners at Open Door? Or live music over vegan bowls at The Barn? Have they explored the boutiques and fine arts galleries on the back streets? And do they realize Sisters has right-out-your-hotel-room-door access to some of the best epic recreation in the region? Turns out they don’t.
Our new brand tells that whole story, inviting visitors to the town Sisters has become. Without shunning its Western roots, we elevated the brand to convey a “new Old West” feeling, one that’s surprisingly sophisticated, thoughtful about where it's headed, and welcoming to all.
Team: Holly Macfee, Dani Guralnick, Andrew Dickson, Katera Woodbridge
When Doug and Dionne Irvine bought a scenic fruit orchard on the outskirts of Ashland, Oregon a decade ago, they didn’t realize they were sitting on wine gold country. Years later, they joined forces with Doug’s sister and brother in law, Kelly and Duane Roberts, to transform this undiscovered pocket of incredible Rogue Valley terroir into Irvine & Roberts Vineyards. Their vision: create ultra-premium, artistically crafted Pinot noir and Chardonnay in a style reminiscent of the great wines of the new and old worlds. Lookout partnered with the Irvine and Roberts families to create a luxury mark evocative of the beautiful traditions of winemaking in Burgundy, infused with the sun-drenched landscape of their unparalleled site. Work includes brand guide, labels, gift guide, collateral and art direction of photography.
Team: Holly Macfee, Dani Guralnick, Mira Kaddoura, Jordenn Bailey, Ginger Robinson; Photography by Gregor Halenda with Art Direction by Holly Macfee & Dani Guralnick; styling by Judiaann Woo
When Martin North hospitality President Ryan Snyder decided to pursue his lifelong dream of building a brewery in Cannon Beach, he turned to Lookout for naming, brand development, photography and merchandising. In our deep dive with Ryan, we learned he wanted to create a brewery, atmosphere and beers that were high quality and downright delicious, but never highfalutin. He dreamed of a place where everyone felt welcome — “beer for the people” — and where the spirit of Oregon’s groundbreaking, all-public coastline could be celebrated. Hence, Public Coast Brewing was born.
Team: Holly Macfee, Central Office, Sokoloff Creative; Video: Vessel Media with Holly Macfee as producer/art director; Photography partner: Gregor Halenda
Eastern Oregon came to Lookout to build an agritourism marketing plan, a brand, and a hard-working system of creative asset — from art directing photography to developing 9 touring maps to way-finding, signage, event banners and advertising. The campaign plays off the remote, vast beauty of the region and the opportunity to experience a way of life nearly forgotten, with heart-tugging invitations like: “If it feels like your kids are growing up too fast, bring them somewhere life slows down.” The Hatch Show print inspired logo engages readers with a playful wink: “Please don’t tell everyone about Eastern Oregon.”
Team: Holly Macfee, Dani Guralnick, Chris Thurman, Andrew Dickson.
Welcome to Forest Grove, one of Oregon's cutest towns, halfway between Portland and the Oregon Coast. Loaded with Native American, pioneer and Scandinavian history and nestled in North Willamette Valley wine country, we positioned the town as a great hub to "branch out" from, while showing how darn fun—and surprising—it is to stay there. One of the largest gatherings of Barbershop Quartets in the Country...that's right! Antique car shows...smokin'! Pacific Islander dance festival...Aloha! Family friendly wineries on a Saturday and ziplining for the kids on a Sunday? What are you waiting for?
The warm and friendly logo design reflects the European heritage of early settlers, nods to the arboreal landscapes of the town and surroundings, and invites feelings of home and country charm. Made you think twice about Forest Grove, am I right?
Team: Holly Macfee, Dani Guralnick, Andrew Dickson
Oregon’s heralded Willamette Valley wine country hired Lookout to create an activation that would capture the attention of travelers in the wine-saturated, bustling Silicon Valley San Jose Airport. Lookout imagined a giant Pinot noir bottle travelers could literally peer into to experience scenes from Oregon Wine Country. The result: a 14-foot Pinot Noir bottle in the Alaska Airlines terminal which told 4 stories — each a “layer” of the bottle — representing scenes of vineyards, geology, harvest, and local recreation. This traffic stopping exhibit, combined with a digital campaign and promotional tie-in with Alaska Airlines, won the top prize at Oregon Governor’s Conference on Tourism “Best Overall Campaign.” The exhibit is now traveling to airports across the west.
Team: Holly Macfee, Mary Ceccini, Dani Guralnick, Fiction
Ahhh…Dufur, the tiny town on the sunny side of Mt. Hood that time forgot. Well, almost! With Hood River and the Gorge serving as Portland’s playground, the time was ripe for this population-300-one-street-locale to get in on the action. We needed to create a brand that would emote the friendly, farming community spirit of the place, while being modern enough to attract high-spending cyclists, scenic drive fanatics, young daytrippers and families wanting to show their kids a real Oregon Trail town. The new brand helped the town open its arms to visitors with the fun invitation, “What can we Dufur you?” Lookout loves giving small places a big idea to hang their hat on.
Team: Holly Macfee, Kate Sokoloff, Laura Williams
Seaside is Portland’s unofficial beach town, at least for families that have visited for generations. But what about those thousands of new Oregonians looking for a beach getaway to call their own? We needed to show them Seaside is so much more than just a day at the beach; it’s the North Coast capitol of fun, and it’s super easy to enjoy everything on offer. Thus was born “It’s Easy to Seaside,” a colorful, campaign filled with fun-popping illustrations that capture the nostalgia of the carousel and old-time game parlors, but also shows you how to kayak, catch your dinner, hike, bike or even just treasure the beach.
The campaign helped drive a 6% growth in hotel tax receipts YOY and a 34% increase in unique website visits. It also won awards for Best Website and Best Overall Campaign at the Oregon Governor’s Conference on Tourism.
Team: Holly Macfee, Dani Guralnick, Andrew Dickson
Entrepreneur and hotelier Kelly Roberts, owner of California's historic Mission Inn Hotel & Spa, hired Lookout to both name and develop a stunning brand for a new line of bespoke skincare products to be sold at the hotel's spa, at retail locations and online. Mrs. Roberts, who rightly prides herself as a skincare guru and global luxury traveler, wanted the brand to evoke luxury, sensuous femininity and woman power. When Mrs. Roberts shared "Every woman deserves to feel like a goddess" in an early briefing, a bell rang and we proposed "PALLAS" as the brand name (Greek for the goddess of wisdom). Sumptuous pink peonies, Mrs. Robert's favorite, became the foundation for the design, their perfume almost drifting off the page. From there, "Hello, Modern Goddess" became the coy welcome across communications. Brand naming, eight products naming, brand/logo development, building website, all copywriting, packaging design and copy.
Team: Holly Macfee, Kelly Wright, Dani Guralnick, Jess Vacek, Shari Eiesland
How do you build a wine destination from the ground up? Oregon’s Rogue Valley, a magical and diverse AVA near Ashland came to Lookout for partnership in strategic planning (alongside Scion Advisors), then asked Lookout to helm the development of a brand guide, marketing plan and consumer, trade and industry tools. Research and winemaker interviews revealed two key insights: the majority of their winery traffic was local and older, and only a tiny percentage of the 2 million visitors coming from farther afield to Crater Lake and Southern Oregon each year—and who skewed much younger—were including any of the nearly 40 wineries on their itineraries. Knowing our biggest opportunity was to convert wine-loving Southern Oregon travelers into wine trippers, we created an unexpected, vibrant brand that showcases the convergence of world-class wine with world-class outdoor and cultural experiences that can only be experienced in Rogue Valley Wine Country.
Team: Holly Macfee, Kelly Wright, Ginger Robinson. Note: some artwork below is for design direction/found photography only, not published materials.
Holly’s roots with the Oregon wine industry run deep. During her tenure at Travel Oregon she championed the growth of culinary and agritourism for the state, helped launch the internationally acclaimed FEAST Portland food event, and created the multi award-winning Oregon Bounty culinary campaign.
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Oregon Wine Board: The Oregon Wine Board hired Lookout to imagine a bold new brand for their Oregon Wine Month program that would embrace Oregon winemakers’ spirit of rugged individualism, evoke the artistry and high quality of our wines, and stand out in the chaotic retail environment. The positioning “Wildy Sophisticated. Properly Oregonian” was paired with an upside down (we drank it all!) wine bottle against a striking Pinot noir hued background.
Team: Holly Macfee, Kelly Wright, Jess Vacek
Lookout also developed the Oregon Wine Trail brand kit for a series of national consumer, media and trade events featuring 60+ Oregon wineries.
Team: Holly Macfee, Dani Guralnick
As brand strategist for Travel Oregon, Holly collaborated with the exceptional teams at Travel Oregon, Wieden+Kennedy and across the state to create the 7 Wonders of Oregon campaign, the most successful campaign the state had ever run. The campaign's simple yet big idea surmised that whoever named the 7 Wonders of the World must have never set foot in Oregon. The creative was matched with a strategic shift in how we marketed to travelers. We worked with Google to identify peak periods for search terms related to travel to Oregon and served up the right message during this peak to influence destination choice. We awed them with the 7 Wonders of Oregon at a moment when they were most open to dreaming about travel. The campaign created a groundswell in Oregon with fans eager to visit all 7 wonders in the state. The campaign generated 120,000 new fans to Travel Oregon’s channels in a 6 month period and won the equivalent of Oscar’s best picture award in the travel industry: Best Overall Campaign in the country by the US Travel Association.
Photography by Chantal Anderson
Before Yacht Rock was a thing and mixologists became celebrities, there was the Wayfarer, open since 1979 in historic Cannon Beach — the only restaurant with a view of iconic Haystack Rock. How to blow new wind into the sails of a beloved place no one wants to change? Keep it clean, fresh and simple, adding touches of modern whimsy like hand illustrated undersea wallpaper.
Team: Holly Macfee, Central Office, Sokoloff Creative. Photography: Gregor Halenda, Photo Art Direction Holly Macfee, Food Styling Andrea Sloenecker
