Don Hollis in his restored 1964 Pontiac GTO (Courtesy photo)
Design, Metro Area
The Art of Branding:
Meet the Guy Whose Creative Direction Runs Deep Throughout San Diego
By Frank Sabatini Jr.
If you’ve dined, lodged, or shopped in one of San Diego’s distinct urban neighborhoods, chances are you’ve encountered the work of Don Hollis.
The multi-disciplinary brander is the mastermind behind Hollis Brand Culture, which he founded in 1994.
Based in Little Italy, the firm brings visual and narrative recognition to companies, nonprofits, and community landmarks through interior and environmental design. Hollis relies often on the background stories of his subjects through an approach that stretches far beyond common uses of social media.
His clients have included the Hard Rock Hotel San Diego, The Sofia Hotel, The HUB in Hillcrest, The Museum of Photographic Arts in Balboa Park, Mister A’s in Bankers Hill, Belmont Park and The Plunge in Mission Beach, The San Diego Architectural Foundation, Tavern + Bowl, and many more.
We caught up with Hollis to learn more about his branding philosophy.
Downtown Condo Guys: What primary, professional title do you give yourself?
Hollis: Creative Director. I work in cross-discipline design with architects and artists. My bigger umbrella is environmental design, which includes landscaping, lighting and interiors.
Downtown Condo Guys: What is your background in those fields?
Hollis: I majored in visual communication at the Art Institute of Philadelphia, and did multiple internships during school at an ad agency.
I was also very fortunate to have a career path when growing up in rural New York State. My father worked at a nearby air force base in mechanics, and my mother was a teacher. They both always encouraged me to be resourceful and creative. And our high school offered mechanical drawing, graphic design, and photography, which were foundations for my creative development.
Downtown Condo Guys: Who were some of your first clients that you helped brand?
Hollis: Among the earliest was Tower 23 Hotel. We did their website, property signage, print ads, photo shoots, and general art direction, right down to the staff uniforms and the drink coasters.
We also worked with [restaurateur] Tracey Borkum of the former Chive restaurant in the Gaslamp. We translated her vision of a modern London-style bistro into the visual identity and language that embodied the brand. For example, because the menu offered smaller portions and deconstructed dishes, we called it ‘cuisine moderne,” which was an invented tagline used specifically for the concept.
Although my first real client and collaborator was the late architect, Graham Downes. We worked together for 19 years until his passing. We had developed environmental designs for restaurant, retail, and hospitality projects, such as The HUB (Hillcrest Uptown Block) in Hillcrest.
Downtown Condo Guys: What specific services did you provide for the HUB?
Hollis: Graham brought us into the project, and then he passed away. So we took the whole thing on and followed his approach by reducing the colors from when it was the Uptown Shopping District. We brought in light and shadow tones, plus murals, signage, and metal screenings to create a vertical rhythm.
The story about the property was to redefine an everyday shopping center at the heart of the neighborhood and turn it into a backyard experience for the community. We opened it up more and gave it a name that logically connected to the space so that you can say, ‘Meet me at the HUB’ rather than ‘Meet me at the Hillcrest Uptown Shopping District.’
Downtown Condo Guys: What are some of the other branding strategies you’ve used for clients?
Hollis: For the Museum of Photographic Arts, it began with conducting a full membership survey to determine its goals. We studied the organization historically and looked to the future, which included introducing digital and motion in their exhibitions opposed to only still photography. In collaboration with architects at Gensler, we renovated the lobby to enhance the arrival experience, and also the gift shop. We also did their website and created event-based marketing communications to members and the general public.
For Wolfie’s in Little Italy, which has a carousel-designed bar, we worked with local visionary Mauricio Couturier in crafting the story about historic carousel carver Charles I.D. Looff, which we incorporated into signage and menus. Through Mauricio, we were led to Mister A’s, where we updated and simplified their heritage brand. We applied that history to their menus, which nod back to the original look from the 1960s through a classic combination of Futura and Baskerville fonts—and with a little Wes Anderson thrown in. The beverage menu covers are now in red and the dining menu covers are in blue to correlate with the updated interior.
Downtown Condo Guys: What has been your most challenging project?
Hollis: The Sempra Energy HQ building downtown. We did the full outdoor signage, their way-finding signs throughout the building’s interior, and the environmental graphic design, which was complicated. The approval process was complex because every presentation had to be made four times to various committees. So it took us 18 months to complete the project. And you wonder why your electric bill is so high (chuckle).
Downtown Condo Guys: What are some of the mistakes or oversights companies make when attempting to establish their brands?
Hollis: I think sometimes it’s speed to market–or taking shortcuts–which limits the stories that create cohesive images and messages for the business. Not enough companies successfully integrate their brands across their company cultures. It’s more than just a logo, and it’s more than a sign.
Downtown Condo Guys: What projects are currently on your drawing table?
Hollis: We’re working with SilverLake Ramen’s new UTC location, which opens sometime this February. We did their full store design, signage and menu boards. This is probably their 15th store that we’ve worked on. We’re also working on a couple of new locations for Pesto Italian Craft Kitchen.
Downtown Condo Guys: What are some of your personal design projects, if any, outside the office?
Hollis: I recently restored a 1964 Pontiac GTO convertible. It was a decade-long process. Also, my girlfriend and I blended our aesthetics into our house. We call it ‘beach-modern,’ and found it was our common thread for creating a warm, casual, and relaxed environment.
