What We Do

Pavement is an award-winning San Francisco Bay Area-based creative studio led by Michael Hester. With a specialization in packaging and brand identities, we offer solutions tailored to each of our clients’ specific needs, no matter how big or small the request. Our process is refreshingly uncomplicated: We listen, collaborate and create compelling work. We think big picture yet focus on every detail. Our goal remains simple: to create lasting creative solutions that drive results for our clients.

CAPABILITIES

Packaging Design
Branding                                                                                                                                                                                                             Logo/Identity Design
Art Direction
Brand Strategy & Positioning
Naming
Copywriting
Marketing Collateral
Point-of-Sale Materials
Structure Design
Website Design & Development

Client Experience

Our client experience is vast and varied. We’ve collaborated with start-ups and established brands, both local and global. Our clients are viewed as partners. We believe that the best work is created through strong collaboration and communication. We don’t just execute projects, we build lasting and tested relationships.

NOTABLE CLIENTS
Banana Republic
Brack Mountain Wine Co.
Double Eight Dairy
Droga Chocolates
Dwell Magazine
Fetzer Vineyards
Gap Inc.
Long Meadow Ranch
Merisant Co.
Motorola
Pascal Pictures
Pottery Barn
Peet’s Coffee & Tea
Stila Cosmetics
Target
The Wall Street Journal
Williams-Sonoma
Zwilling J.A. Henckels

Studio Leadership

Michael Hester, Principal & Creative Director

With over 17 years of experience in design and creative, Michael brings a wealth of experience to Pavement; his background includes packaging, branding, art direction, creative advertising and editorial design. Michael began his career with The Wall Street Journal in San Francisco during the late-’90s dot-com boom. Since then, he has lived and worked in New York City, Los Angeles, and San Francisco with such notable clients as Dwell Magazine, E & J Gallo, Stila Cosmetics, Juicy Couture, Motorola, Sony Vaio, The Gap, and Banana Republic. Most recently he was the director of all packaging efforts for Williams-Sonoma, where his work received numerous accolades from Communication Arts, The Dieline, as well as other publications for his work.

Notable Awards & Press

2017
  • Communication Arts Design Annual 2017, Excellence in Packaging: Cooper's Classic Whiskey
  • Type Director’s Club, Excellence in Typography 2017: Cooper’s Classic Whiskey
  • Graphis Design Annual 2018, Gold: Cooper’s Classic Whiskey
  • Graphis Design Annual 2018, Silver: Peet's Cold Brew Coffee
  • Graphis Design Annual 2018, Silver: Long Meadow Ranch Olive Oils
  • Graphis Design Annual 2018, Merit: Bloom Farms Hand Rolls
  • TheDieline.com Feature: 16 Whiskey Designs We Love, Cooper’s Classic Whiskey
  • TheDieline.com Feature: 10 Best Cannabis Package Designs, Bloom Farms Highlighter & Bloom Farms Hand Rolls
  • Communication Arts Exhibit: Cooper's Classic Whiskey
  • The Dieline Feature: Behind the Design for Bloom Farms Hand Rolls
2016
  • Communication Arts Design Annual 2016, Excellence in Packaging: Highlighter by Bloom Farms
  • Graphis Design Annual 2017, Silver: Highlighter by Bloom Farms
  • Graphis Design Annual 2017, Merit: Once Wines
  • Graphis Design Annual 2017, Merit: Beckon Fetzer Vineyards
  • TheDieline.com Feature: Package Design in the Cannabis Industry
  • The Dieline Awards 2016, Outstanding Achievement in Packaging: Highlighter by Bloom Farms
  • Communication Arts Typography Annual 2016, Excellence in Packaging: Williams-Sonoma Coffee Blends
2015
  • Communication Arts Design Annual 2015, Excellence in Packaging: Pavimento Tequila
  • Graphis Design Annual 2016, Gold: Pavimento Tequila
  • Novum World of Graphic Design: Feature Article, October 2015
  • Communication Arts Exhibit: Williams-Sonoma Coffee Blends
  • TheDieline.com Feature: Pavement Studio Spotlight
  • LovelyPackage.com Feature: Williams-Sonoma Coffee Blends
2014
  • Communication Arts Typography Annual 2014, Excellence in Packaging: Williams-Sonoma Olives
  • Communication Arts Exhibit: Diablo’s Shadow
  • Rockport Publishers, Best Practices for Graphic Designers, Packaging: Feature on Williams-Sonoma
  • Package Design Magazine, Snapshot Feature: Aftelier Chef’s Essences
  • The Dieline Features: Diablo’s Shadow, Droga Confections and Double 8 Dairy
  • LovelyPackage.com Feature: Double 8 Dairy
2013
  • Communication Arts Design Annual 2013, Excellence in Packaging: Williams-Sonoma Cocktail Mixers
  • Communication Arts Design Annual 2013, Excellence in Packaging: Williams-Sonoma Peanut Noodle Sauce
  • Communication Arts, Feature Article on Williams-Sonoma Work
  • Communication Arts Exhibit: Williams-Sonoma Artisanal Pastas