BRANDING / DESIGN / STRATEGY / SOCIAL MEDIA
Labyrinth Coffee
Labyrinth Coffee originally began as Cow Hollow Coffee. The company wanted to focus on B2B sales over B2C sales and desired a re-brand. Seeking to form a brand that reflects the values of the company’s remaining founder, a change in the company’s identity system was necessary.
The Process
Problem
Cow Hollow’s owners had split, leaving that poor experience attached to the company’s current identity. The remaining owner wanted a new logo and re-brand designed to separate the company from its past. However, thousands of people had come to associate the owner with Cow Hollow Coffee. We needed to fix that problem by creating an entirely new brand image that resonated with the target audience.
Objective
Separate the old Cow Hollow Coffee from the new company direction.
Create an entirely new, modern identity for the company, including packaging and a stylescape to bring the company firmly into the contemporary coffee industry.
Define
Consumer: The Modern Coffee Shop
Strategy
Every coffee shop in Charlotte has a very similar aesthetic and color palette: Black and white with rustic elements, such as wooden accents, limited color, and a hand-printed look (especially on branding cups, shirts, and other materials). As a roaster selling to coffee shops, these shops encompassed a large percentage of Cow Hollow’s customer base. Creating a brand that looks like it belongs on coffee shops’ shelves was necessary to bolster sales and build interest in the new Cow Hollow.
Brand Identity Design
We designed the brand’s new identity with the personality of the owner in mind. Cedric worked as preacher in his spare time. Wanting to integrate that part of his life into the brand, we implemented the labyrinthine imagery. In many religious contexts, the labyrinth symbolizes self-development, perseverance, refinement, and the exploratory nature of self-growth. Each of these qualities lended themselves well to the roasting and flavor development of coffee.
