The Saint's mission statement is simple: to elevate the status of Tequila to equal the tradition of its rich and celebrated history. Looking to change the stereotype of Tequila as the cheap party mixer and the cause of brutal spring break hangovers, The Saint creates an intimate venue in which to explore the finer tastes and subtleties of this complex spirit. Modern, but timeless. Upscale, but not exclusive. Elegant, sophisticated—delicious.

    We knew going into this project that people would naturally be curious about who "The Saint" is. When developing the brand, we wanted to play with the idea of what a saint could be, and we created an environment full of possible candidates in which anyone's answer could be right. We intentionally moved away from religious connotations and imagery. Instead, we wanted to portray the spirit of a culture and the innate qualities of heroism, inspiration, and majesty. We worked with the idea of a more populist definition of a saint, thinking about local heroes and everyday people, who through some spectacular turn of events are revered by their peers and neighbors. Heroes are different for everybody, and this idea is central to the brand of The Saint.

    The bar is populated with images of iconic figures: portraits of matadors and matadoras fill the walls, posing in groups or for formal portraits. The logo, a statuesque man raising a sword on the back of a horse, implies heroic deeds but is non-specific, leaving room for the individual to interpret the details. When sitting in the bar, the thing that becomes apparent is not who the one "Saint" is, but that there are many saints, all immortalized by the love of the people.

   The design of The Saint had to be as simple as its patron's mission. The understated design had to be powerful enough to elevate the menu to its intended stature. It had to be confident and bold, yet have the integrity to be reserved. But most of all, it had to be respectful of its subject. Like the process of making Tequila itself, the solution was to distill the design down to its purest form. Nothing extra, no filler—just the purest ingredients crafted with the upmost care.

    A single color, a vibrant and deep agave blue, carries through the entire identity. From the printed materials, to the website, all the way to the exterior of the building and signage, the blue is a constant thread that both identifies and unifies all aspects of the brand. We created a visual language that is minimalist in its approach, and modern in spirit; where language, and its presentation is the focus and purpose of the design. Typography was the cornerstone of the menu and website's design. Their form was dictated entirely by their content, their beauty coming from within the message itself. Vintage black and white portraits of matadors were used to give depth and texture to the brand, and to imbue the pieces with a sense of drama. The matadors work to illustrate a long, rich history as well as to communicate the story of heroism. Together, all of these elements create a cohesive brand story that treats Tequila with reverence and gives the bar a distinct personality and character.

   With the concept of the brand in place and the visual language established, there was a clear point of reference for the design of the physical space and the design of the customer's experience. Located in a stand-alone 1920's era triangular building in Seattle's Capitol Hill neighborhood, the bar commands attention with its blue stucco exterior and ornate white trim. The hanging sign of the logo is cut from sheets of aluminum and mounted on bright white metal discs. A moat of pristine white marble gravel surrounds the blue building as it projects from the hill, presenting itself majestically.

    Inside, natural wood tables, chairs, and floors warm up the clean white walls and green benches. There are no sombreros or ponchos hanging on the walls, no Dia De Los Muertos marionettes or velvet paintings. The decor is simple, classic, and understated. Pure and noble.

    In the dining room, vintage matadors’ portraits fill the walls in an eclectic assortment of found antique frames. Each figure is dressed in his finest regalia posing for his formal portrait, beaming with pride and elegance. The walls in the upper section of the bar have been wheat-pasted with enormous wallpaper prints of the bull fighters evoking the street posters of another time.

   Every detail of the customer experience was considered and the layers of branding come through on many different levels. Careful copywriting; coasters, menus, and comment cards; complimentary postcards and drink tickets; table-top reservation signs—all the pieces of the brand work together to build on the idea of the bar's simple and pure mission: To bring you Tequila, elevated.