The Ask: How can an upscale Euro-centric coffee brand tastefully introduce Cuban coffee back to the U.S. for the first time since 1962, following the Obama administration’s lifting of the 50+ year embargo.

The Solution: I evolved Nespresso’s signature Italian Memphis Design approach to product design, and applied the bright, playful and tropical elements of Cuban culture. By positioning a campaign look and feel in this conceptual space, the brand was able to evoke the Cuban spirit of coffee culture while eschewing negative connotations of America’s perception of the Cuban embargo and legacy of communism in decay.