Appalachian Mountain Club

125th Anniversary Campaign

AMC Huts
Challenge

The Appalachian Mountain Club wanted to add some zing to the 125th anniversary celebration of the nation’s oldest mountain hut system. Their vision was to create a commemorative poster, merchandise, and promotions inspired by vintage National Park posters from the 1930s and 1940s.

Strategy and Design Process

I took a deep dive into the history of the original W.P.A National Parks posters as well as other vintage travel posters to get feel for the palettes, graphic styles, and fonts used in the designs. I developed assets centered on the long history of the huts that reflect the majesty of their locations.

Solution

I came up with two designs, one more detailed for use in larger formats like posters and apparel, and one simplified for smaller scale items like embroidered patches, pins, mugs, and glasses. The simplified design was also used to create ads and digital headers for email and web.

Brandon designed a gorgeous poster and logo as well as several pieces of print and digital creative for our recent anniversary campaign. He also developed brochures for two other initiatives. The posters and related merchandise bearing his designs have been a huge success! I’m nothing short of impressed by the quality and creativity of his work, his open and flexible approach to incorporating our feedback, and his positive attitude throughout. I’d recommend him to anyone looking for top-notch design work from a fantastic designer.
Leticia Taft-Pearman
Marketing Director, Appalachian Mountain Club