Project Object opened on NE Sandy Boulevard in Portland in April 2017, a new independent shop with a clear point of view. Its owner, T Ngu, also runs the jewelry line Upper Metal Class. The shop stocked work from women-owned brands, artists of color and LGBTQ designers, and committed 10% of its profits to giving back. A brand-new store had to become a place people knew and trusted, in person and online.
Details on the shop’s opening, mission and giving come from Portland Monthly.
I designed the store’s identity and marketing materials around a single wordmark. The same high-contrast serif logo is on the front door, the sign, the opening poster, postcards and emails, so customers saw the same brand on the street, on paper and in their inbox.
I scouted locations and worked with models, photographers and stylists on photoshoots for the product pages and social media.
I planned and ran fundraisers and community gatherings with artists, Planned Parenthood and Django Girls. They fit what the shop stood for and gave people a reason to come in beyond shopping. I promoted them on Facebook, Instagram and Eventbrite.
I designed the Shopify site and photographed the products for it, so customers who couldn’t visit still got the shop’s point of view.
The grand opening poster named the pop-up artist, the date and the address. It ran in print and on social media.
The wordmark on the sign and the door. I designed the signage along with the rest of the identity.
Merchandising a small space around cards, prints, jewelry and goods from independent makers.
Product photos and short animations for the online shop.
Fundraisers and gatherings.
Visitors at gatherings in the shop.
The shop was covered by local press within months of opening.
I don’t have sales figures to share, so here is what is on the public record from the shop’s first year.
At a shop this size, the brand is everything people run into: the sign, the poster, the events, the emails, the site. I tried to make them all feel like the same room.