Fresh

I’m proud to announce that after almost 2.5 years at our 5th and Couch location, we have finally completed our street level signage and entrance design. When we relocated from the Alber’s Mills to Old Town, it had a profound effect on our company. We became a part of a growing neighborhood with a unique energy and flavor that paired well with our company culture. Old Town isn’t your average Portland neighborhood. It’s one of the few places in Portland where I actually feel like I’m living in a real city. It’s fashion, youth, small business, food, and art. All of this juxtaposed with a dodgy past makes for an interesting few blocks. When it came time to design a sign for our new office we wanted to make sure to acknowledge the roots of the neighborhood while adding our own piece to the mix.

When we first began concepting ideas, we needed to clearly define why it was we even needed a sign. After all, we aren’t a retail space or a restaurant where people are walking in off the street for their next online campaign. Most people that come to our office know who we are and are simply looking for a clearly marked street address. It’s more way-finding than anything. We had to take into consideration things such as public transportation and parking, so we could position the sign in a place that made sense. Once people found us they needed to be buzzed in, so we also included an integrated call box into the entrance.

Initial sketches

(more…)

Have you been to Portland’s historic Chinatown or “hidden Japantown” lately?  Well, here’s your chance! This art walk will cover galleries in the area with a focus on the Chinese New Year (year of the ox!).

January 25th, 2009, 2pm

Group meets at:
Oregon Nikkei Legacy Center
121 NW Second Ave
Portland, OR 97209

RSVP, view map and more info »

Just over one year ago eROI moved its office from the Albers Milling Co. building under the Broadway Bridge to a revamped multi-floor space on NW 5th and Couch St – right in the heart of Old Town/Chinatown.  Not only is our new space cooler,  bigger and greener, it’s also in the ‘most exciting’ neighborhood in Portland!  ‘Most exciting’ can be interpreted many different ways… but for most of us I think being in OTCT is overall a very positive experience.  Yea, there’s drug dealers, crazy people and homeless folks asking for change or cigarettes – but it’s all part of the special charm of the neighborhood.

Plus, we have some awesome neighbors: Someday Lounge, Backspace, Ground Kontrol, Compound, Upper Playground, Floating World Comics, just to name a few.  Access to galleries, good food & drinks, and public transportation is primo.  And there’s good things in the future too: A new restaurant, Ping, should be opening up in the Hung Far Low building soon, and there’s potential for our very own neighborhood Uwajimaya right across the street from us.  (But hopefully all of the ‘rejuvination and modernization’ of OTCT doesn’t take away all of that neighborhood charm – once the Hung Far Low sign gets put back up we’ll all feel a lot better.)

(more…)