Branding || Research || Typography
An Ode to the Old is a love letter to the Old Portland. If you've lived in Portland, Oregon, you've surely heard someone saying, "the old Portland was better". For the purposes of this project, we take a deep dive of the Portland that existed between 1985-2009.
As a transplant, I’ve experienced and observed the big changes that Portland has experienced over the last 11 years. The city is not as it once was when I moved here in 2014, but I like to think that I got to experience little bits of the old Portland before they went away for good.
My experiences in Portland have been 99% positive, and as I got to know the city more— my appreciation and love for this place has grown exponentially. This place is truly special, and though it has its many problems and quirks, this place holds a lot of magic.
I have been fixated on the idea of the 24 Hour Church of Elvis from the moment a co-worker told me about it (thank you, Krista!). As a Minnesotan, it made me giddy just thinking of a non-legal wedding being performed for a gal and her best pals.
The first step to starting this project was asking the question, “what made the old Portland so special?” I hit the books in order to discover why that period was so noteworthy.
What made the Old Portland so special?
An objective of this project was to do pop-up events around Portland where Punky would perform soul-bonding and marriage ceremonies— just as the 24 Hour Church of Elvis did. I wanted to give people a little taste of the old Portland experience. To my surprise, the pop-ups became much more than that, and was a moment for people to get advice or talk about their experiences living in Portland. Whether positive or negative, there was a lot of understanding and shared experiences through the connections that were made.
I’ve always loved and admired the community-building aspect of Portland. Although the Old Portland is mostly gone, with little nuggets hidden throughout the city, the current version will never be as cool or as genuinely quirky as it was in its golden days. Regardless of the changes this city has undergone, there’s something that will always ring true— no matter what you’re into, there’s a place for you here.
