Founded in 1916 as the Blackstone Hotel, the property quickly symbolized elegance for Omahans and beyond. The Blackstone was the center of many of Omaha’s finest social functions with its ballroom, rooftop gardens, and award-winning restaurants. Growth would follow as it earned its reputation as the best hotel between Chicago and the Pacific—it would become a landmark for famous celebrities and politicians who passed through the region until the years before its closing in the 1980s.

Our challenge was to revive the hotel for the present-day traveler, returning it to its original grandeur and position it at the helm of the city's social scene once again, all while retaining the building's original language and elegance. This also included new identities for the hotel’s outdoor pool bar, Cottonwood Pool Club, and the restaurant, The Committee Chophouse.

Inspired by the hotel's history and a vast collection of ephemera from the past, we crafted an identity that celebrates the boldness, sophistication, and playfulness of the original Blackstone, while giving it its own contemporary identity as the Cottonwood Hotel.

The primary brand mark is a flexible monogram based on the cottonwood leaf. The mark feels modern and elegant with a touch of opulence—speaking to the balance between history and playful modernity intrinsic to the project.

Inspired by classic cabana stripes, we developed an adjacent brand for the Cottonwood Pool Club identity that utilizes geometric color blocks informed by the shapes of water, towels, and umbrellas, striking a balance between familiarity and abstraction.