I created a brand identity and website for The Telluride Company which was the original name of the Telluride Ski Area in the late 1960's. TELCO as its known was a big idea at the time; the new TELCO is a small cafe with a big mission; to think bigger and bolder about the place it's located, inspire some deep discussion, be a little radical, oh yeah—and sell coffee to crusty locals and billionaire tourists at the same time while not offending any of them.
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Start over. Convincing the team that simply going retro wasn't going to do it, to be okay with not appealing to the lowest common denominator, and to be current but not trendy are foundations of the brand. Telluride is well known and getting fancier by the day. The town is full of t-shirt shops and old western themed hat stores. We knew we couldn't be that, but it's also not a place where you can be a hipster coffee shop with a snarl.
I made sure to use colors not obviously associated with Colorado or mountain towns, typography that while rooted in 1970s early computer-world was timeless and timely. The mark itself was an exploration inspiried by Saul Bass' big corporate logo work; flat, two color shapes, but when applied to the daily business of a cafe was something you'd wear on a hat or a shirt.
I don't normally wear things with logos but I have to admit I do wear my TELCO stuff a lot. In its short time open The Telluride Company brand has done what we hoped; looked back just enough to prove that it's oldschool while looking forward enough that it's not a tourist trap. From the website design, to cups, to merchandise, and social the TELCO brand has established itself as Telluride's premier coffee shop and the brand is punching well above its weight. I think I'll try to start a ski area next.
