French Press Films

French Press Films was a filmmaking and creative agency based in Oakland, California.

For over a decade, they produced videos for top clients like Netflix, Wells Fargo, Uber, Gap, and Google. But what made this small team different from other agencies was their personality: unpretentious, absurdly funny, and utterly devoted to craft.

I had the chance to collaborate with French Press on multiple projects—including all of the live-action videos for my portfolio and Sketch Master courses—but none was more memorable than this 1.5-year effort to rebrand and rebuild their website.

The project won a W3 award for its innovative web design inspired by jazz cover art and mid-century film posters.

To see the work and hear about the story of making it, I encourage you to check out the article and video below.

While the making-of article is the best overview, here’s a selection of images highlighting various aspects of the project:

Computers want to make everything a perfect rectangle—but that felt antithetical to French Press’s quirky personality. Using the latest web technologies, I engineered a website where almost everything was irregular and unique in shape.

Branding the company’s podcast—including each episode’s artwork—was also part of the project. I created a custom font and an internal web app so the team could easily create artwork that followed the same design.

The new website and visual identity made a huge difference to French Press, showcasing their work, speaking to their values, and attracting great clients.

Unfortunately, like many agencies and production companies, French Press Films struggled during the socially-distanced COVID-19 pandemic and the team has since moved on. I celebrate their decade of amazing work together, and am proud to have contributed to their unique vision.

Interested in working together on a project?