Monorail Espresso
Designer Series 2023
Monorail Espresso is a Seattle institution. Founded in 1980, the coffee company began as a coffee cart and has since grown to a network of walk up coffee windows with a reputation for strong coffee and community care. In 2023 owner and manager Aimee Peck approached me to create a multi SKU merchandise collection for the brand that with multiple drops throughout the year.
Photos: Sarah Wolfe
Process & Approach:
For this collection I wanted to celebrate the Monorail customer base so that functionally, the work would stand as a badge of honor for the city and their community. The Monorail customer is defined by their decision to get their daily coffee from a walk up window regardless of the weather. This customer definition provided the bumpers for the work’s development. Community is the character actor here, defined by group of humans in lockstep who drink each other’s extended offering of coffee. Community is then reinforced through SKU drops that offer pet bandanas in collection colorways to create multiple paths of entry for customer building.
The color palette is reflective of both the rainy day Seattle is known for and the streetwise pop of the Monorail brand.
Multiple black and white sketches were presented to the client and the chosen directions can be followed through the connected line.
The Results
Monorail Espresso sold out of this collection within the first 6 months of its debut. To this day I still receive inquiry emails from Monorail customers asking if I have any secret backdoor copies of this work that they can get their hands on.