Reimagining the Hotel Café Experience
Located in hills along the Berkeley and Oakland border sits the Claremont Hotel & Spa, a historic East Bay institution built with newly gained riches from the California Gold Rush. Following its recent acquisition and renovation by Fairmont Hotels & Resorts, the hotel management group set out to create a new artisanal café and wine bar concept, stocked with freshly baked pasteries, hand-picked wines, and a curated selection of locally sourced goods. Their team engaged us in an effort to give the café its name, East Bay Provisions, develop its brand identity, and create a set of retail materials — including product packaging, cups, menus and signage — to coincide with their launch.
The name was crafted to evoke the pride of the East Bay and conjure the history of the hotel and the pre-settlement days of California when loggers and gold miners would provision their sites with essential foods and staple ingredients.
The identity is accompanied by a series of custom-drawn icons crafted with a copper patina that recalls the hotel’s history in a modern way. Within each icon there are juxtaposing light and dark elements, capturing the way the café transitions from a morning breakfast spot to an evening wine bar.
The packaging and retail elements balance the elegant with the casual — much like the hotel itself — to reinforce an elevated, yet attainable experience.
