Aaron hilst Design & COmmunications
Zephyr is a 70-unit mixed-use building in Seattle's Capitol Hill neighborhood. I had a hand in nearly every aspect of marketing this project, from the brand strategy, to naming, to environmental and web design.
The name Zephyr – a reference to a style of train from the golden era of rail travel – winks at the building's past as a coffee shop called B&O Espresso, while also referencing a west wind. The logo also hints at the shape of the original B&O Railroad logo.
The branding portion of the project was completed with the team at Revolution PR. Vertical Visual Solutions manufactured the beautiful signage.
Lighted entryway signage
Exterior marketing signage
Map of neighborhood landmarks for leasing office
Interior signage examples
Stairway signage
Giveaway items for visitors
Greater Public provides support and leadership to public media stations. I have worked with the organization to implement a newly created logo and flesh out brand standards across all of their communications channels. This has included creating an updated template for their website, setting brand guidelines through an extensive brand book, and implementing the new brand on materials for their annual conference, PMDMC. Materials designed for the conference include custom app icons, environmental signage, web and email graphics, and more.
Since 2013 I have worked with Capitol Hill Housing, a non-profit community housing assistance program, to create the look and corresponding materials for their food-centric fund raiser, Omnivorous. The event has been a rousing success every year.
Branding for the event has evolved as the fundraiser has grown in size. Initial designs presented a homespun, earthy feel, while the latest round is polished and organized.
I work with 3 Howls, a craft distillery located in Seattle's Sodo neighborhood, to create product labels, promotional giveaways for their many tastings and events, and other collateral.
Affordable housing advocacy group Capitol Hill Housing has developed their own mixed-use project, 12th Avenue Arts, that features arts spaces, affordable housing, and community gathering space. To engage the community with their $38 million capital campaign I created a responsive site detailing the project's highlights, which dovetails with the organization's fundraising software. We also designed a series of postcards and banners for the project's launch.
Local award-winning comic artist Ellen Forney provided the amazing artwork for the campaign.
I designed a suite of graphics, including social media components, landing pages, and a t-shirt for KEXP's summer pledge drive. The theme of the drive was "I Power KEXP".
Cascade Built is a Seattle-based green developer that builds quality, sustainable single family homes and multifamily buildings. My work for Cascade Built includes a responsive website, environmental signage, and collateral materials
Work done for Cascade Built was completed in conjunction with Revolution PR.
Capitol Hill EcoDistrict is a "neighborhood-based sustainability initiative serving the most densely populated urban village in the Pacific Northwest." Spearheaded by Capitol Hill Housing, the group works to address Capitol Hill’s sustainability challenges through innovative solutions like community solar and the Capitol Hill Arts District.
I designed a responsive website that showcases the organization's focus areas through custom icons; highlights their sustainability projects; and encourages community engagement through a blog. The site integrates with Capitol Hill Housing's third-party donation software.