Every now and then a branding project comes along that I am just so, so excited to be a part of, I just have to restrain myself from sounding too excited. I have always had a soft spot in my heart for coffee, it is a great love for my whole family (I am pretty sure my dad is 90% coffee). When I met with Ian Wahl, he explained how coffee roasting was a true passion for him. His company was going to be focused on roasting in small batches to ensure love goes into every bean and that quality and freshness are maintained.
sketches:
Ian had a general tone in mind for his design. He wanted to create something that had a hippy sort of feel, think of those surfers in camper vans travelling along the coast catching the next big wave. He wanted something that had an organic energy felt hip, but not too trendy. He wanted a laid back feel that captured the idea of self fullfillment.
initial concepts:
In the initial designs, I wanted the wanderer vibe to be right up front. I loved the visual of a camper van to explain that overall tone but I also wanted to explore some new ideas, like a hot air balloon or mountain trail. Travelling and exploring were top of mind.
revised concepts:
Completely torn between two concepts (the hot air balloon and the mountain explorer) Ian asked what I thought. I loved both concepts so much, but the mountain design just really felt like it captured everything he had communicated in our consultation. I had to trust my gut and it turned out he felt the same way.
We explored colour, but Ian was really drawn to the high contrast of black and grey, with a little pop of a mustard yellow. That was it, logo complete.
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