Every time a presenter said, “And the Oscar goes to,” Marc Friedland grew more frustrated. Those precious seconds as the presenter opens the envelope virtually guarantee people hold their breath with excitement. However, the envelope didn’t match the moment. “They were basically going to Staples and printing those envelopes with something like a silver lining,” Friedland says. “It was functional. It wasn’t an emotional keepsake.”
The Los Angeles-based designer upgraded that Oscars envelope. In fact, he transformed it into an item that some actors and directors display and treasure as much as the gold statuette. The upgrade created a tangible, artistically crafted keepsake. For decades to come, it will invoke the feeling of anticipation from that moment, every time the person sees or holds it.
Friedland is bringing this same idea—designing beautifully crafted, keepsake items around the feeling of anticipation—to superyachts. Working with the owners of several yachts, including Bravo Eugenia and Viva, he’s demonstrating how yachts already filled with custom-made things can also brand the experiences that owners and guests have. What’s more, they can begin well before anyone even steps onto the passerelle.
Friedland began working with yacht owners after several clients wanted to brand their estates in a modern interpretation of a family crest. They requested everything from dinner-party menus to everyday stationery, all with a coordinated design invoking a feeling of anticipation specific to the property. After that, he began fielding requests for the same kind of couture communications aboard superyachts. “It started with, ‘Hey, we need stationery onboard,’ but then we broke it up into segments like fine dining, gadgetry, gifting, guest communications—almost every single department,” Friedland says. “It becomes what makes their particular vessel so unique and distinctive and meaningful.”
These aren’t just pieces of standard-issue paper with a custom logo slapped on them. Friedland has a lead time of eight to nine months for the design process, similar to an interior-design process. He interviews the owner, executive assistant, and anyone else who might be helpful. An initial presentation includes mood boards, shapes, and swatches of finely crafted materials. Next comes production. It includes luggage tags that guests might receive before they begin a charter, for instance. It additionally extends to the notepads next to their stateroom beds. “I try to build out at least three years of inventory because some of these things cannot be reproduced easily when you run out,” Friedland explains. “So there’s also project management with this.” He further handles inventory storage ashore for yacht owners who request it.
To Friedland’s thinking, couture communications fall under the category of elevating the guest experience. Just like exquisite food and crew service, so, too, other yacht-related moments can elevate. “With all the advances in digital everything—AI, everything—these thoughtfully crafted, tangible experiences are becoming increasingly rare, and therefore increasingly meaningful,” he says. “Whether it’s an Oscars envelope or a hotel opening or a milestone experience or a yacht, I’m always interested in that space before a meaningful moment occurs. We really design how moments are remembered.”
Marc Friedland Couture Communications marcfriedland.com
Leave a Reply