McCafé
In 2015, McDonald’s Canada launched its first stand-alone McCafé inside Toronto’s Union Station — a compact 1,100 sq. ft. location designed for high-volume, grab-and-go convenience in one of the country’s busiest transit hubs. The concept prioritized speed, quality, and an elevated café experience for commuters on the move.
Package Design
I led the creative direction across packaging, merchandising, and digital assets to bring this vision to life. For the grab-and-go menu of ready-made salads, wraps, and baked goods, I oversaw this packaging design that used black-and-white imagery of transit and movement — a nod to Toronto’s downtown hustle.
This visual approach blended function with elevated café branding and helped position McCafé as both modern and fast.
Packaging, Merchandising & Digital Experience
Inside the store, I directed the development of merchandising kits that supported the new identity — including branded service trays, counter signage, POS displays, floor decals, and product fixtures that brought visual consistency to the small-format space. The goal was to create a seamless, elevated in-store experience while supporting operational flow for staff and customers alike.
To complement the physical space, I also led the redesign of the digital menu board system. The new design was clean, modular, and flexible — helping highlight premium items while staying aligned with the evolving brand identity. It improved legibility, streamlined service, and supported dayparting and regional pricing variations with ease.
Together, this system of packaging, merchandising, and digital media created a cohesive experience for customers and set the tone for future McCafé locations across Canada — proof that even in a fast-paced commuter setting, thoughtful design can make a meaningful impact.
Agency: Watt International
Creative Director: Jeff Wilbee
Designer: Naythan Maynard, Caitlin Harel, Olivia Viola
Photography: Neil Hill
Food Photography at Watt International
At Watt International, the in-house photo studio was the hub of the agency — and for a few years, my home away from home. Almost everything we designed for McDonald's — from digital menu boards to oversized window decals — was brought to life in that studio, lit, styled, and captured with meticulous attention to detail.
When shooting for McDonald's, authenticity wasn’t just preferred — it was mandatory. No fake steam, no glue, no mashed potato stand-ins. Every burger, wrap, fry, and dessert had to be made with the actual ingredients served in-store and built to spec. That meant every sesame seed in its place, every pickle visible, every bun toasted to perfection — because McDonald’s has strict build standards that must be reflected in all images. It was precision work, grounded in brand trust and food science.
Ice cream? Let’s just say that was a race against the clock. Soft serve had to be shot under hot lights — fast. We always had extras prepped and waiting in the freezer for a quick swap and styling to capture as many clean options as possible before the melt kicked in.
Some weeks, we were shooting five days straight — juggling new product launches, regional pricing variations, and even items that hadn’t been fully finalized. Adaptability wasn’t a nice-to-have — it was survival.
But that’s what made it exciting. Working with a talented team of photographers, stylists, and food experts — all obsessed with detail — taught me how to lead with creativity, pivot with grace, and still deliver mouth-watering results. It was fast, messy, rewarding — and one of the most formative chapters of my design career.
WILBEE 2025 | graphics | design | advertising