Winnedumah Hotel
Nestled in the heart of Eastern Sierra lies the Winnedumah Hotel of Independence. Within a short drive from Los Angeles, you enter a world of dramatic landscapes and a capsule of Californian history. The Winnedumah Hotel has been a part of this history since the gold rush and has become a monument to the Owens Valley.
Now revitalized for a modern era, yet still preserving the tranquility that attracts visitors from around the world.
Output
Identity
Web
Collateral
Art Direction
Wayfinding
Advertising
Credits
ARCHITECT & INTERIOR DESIGN
Stayner
PHOTOGRAPHY
Drew Martin
HISTORIC PHOTOGRAPHY
Owens Valley History
THE EASTERN SIERRA
One of California’s landmark destinations and native lands of the Payahüünadü. A dramatic landscape in the rain shadow of sequoias. Its geologically rich area is filled with snow-capped mountains, flowing waters, thermal hot springs, wild herds, and dormant volcanos. A beautiful area with a complicated history.
VALLEY BOOM
In the mid-1800s pioneers came to the Eastern Sierra and settled in the Owens Valley—a few decades later, the gold rush began. The land was rich with minerals, so roads were planned and railroads were built, and then miners began building what we know today as future ghost towns.
DESERT BEAUTY
Along with the mining boom, early groups of artists and environmentalists were drawn to the natural beauty of the area. Anne Brigmann’s photography of the early 1900s captured the serenity of the Easter Sierra perfectly.
Alongside Brigmann, a prolific writer, Mary Austin wrote Land of Little Rain and lived blocks away from Winnedumah. An icon of desert preservation, she wrote about the desert with a romantic lens, which created attraction to desert climates from the general public.
INDEPENDENCE
At the center of the valley is the town of Independence. Founded by early settlers as Fort Independence as a point of defense and later established as a town and city hall of Inyo County. During this growth a different boom was happening in Hollywood, and soon productions were seeking authentic backdrops for early western films. Maude Dow saw the opportunity and built the Winnedumah Hotel in Independence.
LOGOTYPE
The original sign was discarded and found in disrepair during its change of owners. The seemingly simple typography on the sign was one of the only living relics of the hotel.
On inspection, the typography was completely custom and carried charm in its nuanced micro-serifs. The letterforms were redrawn and modified to work on digital and physical applications to create Winnedumah’s logotype.
Colors were pulled from the original matchbooks along with darker volcanic tones of the Eastern Sierra.
DISPLAY TYPE
In the boom of the valley, hotels hastily opened up to serve the various travelers. These signs were often hand-done with their own sense of style. To compliment the hotel’s history, we designed a display face that felt true to the history. A human touch that would have been seen in the boom era.
In our research, old ephemera was discovered and reconstructed for secondary assets. An additional monogram was developed as well as an homage to the original Independence Hotel with similar decoration.
TYPOGRAPHY SYSTEM
In building the typography system, we discovered a rare cover of Mary Austin’s book, The Land of Little Rain, that fit with the design system. Lydian was paired with Century Schoolbook, a common typeface used for leaflets in the era.
To aid the typography, we adapted a cut-out style vignette of imagery inspired by Independence postcards.
ILLUSTRATION
An illustration style was developed to communicate the rural quality of the Eastern Sierra through digital applications and special moments within the hotel. These illustrations are a collection of petroglyphs depicting the sierra, folk art scenes of the area, and train-hopper scribings.
NATURALIST
To communicate its proximity to nature and its naturalist roots, a campaign was developed to allure guests to the hotel. The campaign’s foundation is derived from the artist who found inspiration in solitude and a connection to the land.
The new identity complements the historic quality of the hotel along with championing its modern look and welcomes guests to check in and enjoy the solitude.
