As an avid coffee drinker, I have always wanted to tackle the challenge of branding a coffee company! The first part of designing this brand was picking the location of the company, and after careful consideration the decision was that the headquarters would be based out of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. I looked into the history of the city more and decided that the design should be heavily influenced by the second industrial revolution: specifically in the steel mills, as they were numerous within Pittsburgh. This inspiration was displayed through simple, yet functional typography, and imagery with text integration. 

The GR/ND Pittsburgh Blend Coffee Bags began with sourced historic imagery of the city’s steel mills. The vintage appeal of the industrial cityscape follows the aesthetic I am going for within this brand. I modified the image to enhance the smoke from the smokestacks and created the color scheme. The pink wash is reminiscent of the morning, and brings the flavor decisions (cranberries & clover) into the design. I masked parts of the logo behind the factory to create multiple planes that the text lives on, and to fully integrate it within the image. 

 

The Tropical Blend Poster was the first piece I made for this project. I utilized digital collage techniques to create an alluring visual to compliment the simple typography, and focused on tying it into the brand via colors, and the presence of charcoal dust, which is the fuel used in the steel industries historically. 

Coffee Sleeves are interesting because they are a necessity that is often overlooked. As opposed to taking the common route of a muted boring brown paper sleeve, I focused my energy on fully designing that aspect, while leaving a minimal white cup. Similarly to how coasters become a collectible item, there is the same type of potential with coffee sleeves. I wanted to take the challenge of creating a sleeve worth “holding on to.” 

Social persuasion and trends are the most powerful form of advertising. Many companies have jumped on my radar due to seeing their branded stickers around, therefore it was a no-brainer that stickers were a "must" in this brand package!

I utilized photographs I’d taken within the metals shop at my undergraduate school, to include process photos of fabrication with metal.