COFFEE ROASTERS

Cleave Coffee Co.

Cleave Coffee Co. is a PNW-based coffee roasting business. The founders wanted a fresh, professional yet warm brand for their new coffee roasting business. Together, we developed a brand identity, logo suite, color and typeface palette, along with a branded evergreen packaging solution.

ROLE

Creative Direction
Identity System
Packaging
Graphic Design

Packaging images courtesy of Peak Visuals.

Approach

01: Brand Foundations Exploration

Using our Brand Foundations Questionnaire as a starting point, I gathered key information on the goals, current market competitors, and the brand persona Emily and Andrew wanted Cleave to take on.

02: Research

Using the information from phase one, I spent a chunk of time looking into Cleave’s existing competitors in the PNW coffee industry. I paid extra close attention to packaging, social media presence, and websites. Using this information, I put together a presentation outlining each competitor’s strengths, weaknesses, and ideas of how Cleave could use these to their advantage.

03: Mood Board

Using textures, colors, fonts, imagery, and other sources of inspiration collaboratively gathered alongside the founders, I built two mood board concepts for Emily and Andrew to review.

04: Craft Brand Concepts

I started with the brand identity and created two concepts for the founders to review. Once this step was done, I refined minor details, and prepared the colors, fonts, and logos to apply to packaging.

05: Packaging Design

Emily and Andrew needed a package system that would be distinct from others in their industry but still versatile (and cost-effective) enough that they could use the same bag for different coffee blends. We decided on a main bag design with bold colors and patterns, and a sticker design that could be customized to the blend.

06: Brand Application

I applied the branding from phase four to the package design concept in phase five. The final design included a main bag and four custom sticker designs.

Primary Logo

Cleave wanted an approachable and warm brand that felt distinct. A big part of their brand mission is to enable its consumers to have moments of connection and hospitality over a good cup of coffee. They also longed to bridge the gap between coffee bean farmers and the consumers, with an overarching understanding that every piece of the coffee process is valuable.

This led to the key concept: “Everyone plays a piece in the puzzle.” To communicate this, we used intentionally-placed negative space within a rounded, youthful typeface , evoking a sense of a “missing piece.” A fun bonus detail, “e” and “a” are the first initials of the co-founders.