Rocket Espresso
More than a machine.
My role
Creative direction
Brand development
Digital and print
Photography and social media
Rocket Espresso makes espresso machines for homes and cafés. My relationship with the brand began in its early days and grew from its first website to the experience of meeting it out on the road.
Rocket × Audi campaign.
The starting point
Find the people
who would care.
Stage 18 victory, Giro d’Italia 2026.
Photo: Harry Talbot.
Andrew Meo, Rocket’s former co-owner, believed any marketing we did had to be credible. Cycling was a natural fit because we both loved the sport and understood its world. We followed the racing closely, especially the WorldTour, and still do. That shared passion gave Rocket’s involvement credibility within the cycling community: people could see we cared about the sport.
The idea began with Andrew. We developed it together over the years, through Rocket’s communications and its presence at races. That connection grew into partnerships with teams including Soudal Quick-Step (opens in a new tab), Bahrain Victorious (opens in a new tab) and Tudor Pro Cycling (opens in a new tab).
Giro d’Italia
Coffee at the Giro.
Giro d’Italia, 2026.
In pink at the Giro, 2026.
Photo: Harry Talbot.
For several years, Rocket’s pop-up espresso bar was a meeting point at the Giro d’Italia. Riders and teams could stop for a coffee, bringing the brand into the daily life of the race.
I worked on the creative direction and communications around that presence, from limited-edition machine artwork to social teasers that built anticipation before the pop-up arrived. It helped put Rocket in front of the professional cycling community and gave the brand stories to share well beyond race day.
The 100th running.
100 machines.
In 2017, Rocket marked the Giro’s 100th edition with Il Centesimo Giro d’Italia: 100 individually numbered R 58 machines, with the race’s winners hand-engraved into the side panel.
The machine and its launch artwork brought the Giro’s history into the product itself, from the engraved names to the pink details. This was a celebration of the 100th running of the race.
The 2018 countdown
A reason to stop
in Trento.
The following year, a series of social teasers counted down to Rocket’s #FASTER Espresso Bar at Stage 16 in Trento. Cycling references, a hand-drawn machine and the Giro’s pink gave each post its own character, while keeping the place and date clear.
The sequence built towards 22 May 2018, turning the arrival of a coffee bar into something to look forward to.
At the race.
Watch the film on Vimeo (opens in a new tab)From early Giro pop-ups to partnerships with riders and teams.
Film by Brent Backhouse for Rocket Espresso.
Watch the film on YouTube (opens in a new tab)Film by Global Cycling Network, filmed at the Giro.
Made for the ride.
Helping develop Rocket’s cycle clothing and accessories was a really fun project. From jerseys and caps to bottles and socks, and a custom paint design for a Rocket × Factor bike.
The photography was taken in the Italian countryside, where I captured former owner Andrew Meo riding in the new kit designs. These images were used across social media, the website, and Rocket’s online shop.
Creative direction
One brand, wherever
you encounter it.
My work reached into most parts of the brand. It included the website and printed material, as well as photography and the day-to-day social presence. There were limited-edition machines and collaborations, with each bringing its own context.
The job was to keep a clear sense of Rocket through all of it. Sometimes that meant shaping a larger idea. Often it meant attending to a small detail that a customer would notice.
Carhartt WIP ×
Rocket Espresso.
In 2019, Rocket and Carhartt WIP brought coffee into the clothing brand’s world with 100 individually numbered machines, finished in army green.
Carhartt WIP sold all 100 machines online in four and a half hours. This response showed how a well-matched collaboration could introduce Rocket to a new audience.
The collaboration returned in 2023, this time with a polished silver machine and blue details. The product and campaign imagery gave online, social and editorial coverage a clear story to share.
Photography.
Profile snapshot, September 2026.
A continuing conversation
The people around Rocket.
Social media gives the brand a way to stay close to its customers. The content moves between the machines and the people who use them, including the cycling community.
My involvement covers photography and social media work, helping maintain a recognisable voice and a consistent visual approach over time.
After the purchase
Part of the everyday experience.
The work continued into brochures and press releases, as well as domestic and commercial manuals. These are the parts of a brand that people use, keep and return to.
The experience starts with receiving the box and unpacking the machine. Packaging should feel worth keeping, almost too good to throw away, and the manual needs to be good enough to sit on the coffee table. Giving these details the same care as the machine’s presentation and design makes the whole experience feel considered.
The wider picture
A lasting creative
relationship.
Photo: Harry Talbot.
Rocket is an example of what can develop when creative work is part of a business over time. The expression evolves, while the attention to the brand stays consistent.
That continuing involvement is a significant part of how I work today.