The Dirty Grind Coffee House Branding
Brief: Create a unique coffee brand that is maximalist and stands out from the crowd.
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Concept: The Dirt Bags
I have always been inspired by 1920-1930's illustration (like Fleischer Studios and early Disney), and began creating a sticker design for my water bottle that would remind me to drink more water. I posted the design online and immediately had people in my dms asking if this was available to purchase as merch. It was the first time I had such a strong response to a design online, so I ran with it and created a brand identity around a gang of coffee goons whose stomping grounds were called The Dirty Grind.
Early sketches for "Stay Hydrated or Die Trying"
The brand needed more personality and Joe (the devilish coffee seen above) need to be a leader to someone, so I began to brainstorm other characters that could also represent the in-store menu.
Out of that came Sludge, Jolt, Buzz, Betty, and Jitters who I dubbed The Dirt Bags.
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The logo came after all the characters were designed. A thick, retro script was customized in various styles to ensure it worked scaled-down and across all assets. From there, a custom coffee pattern was made with the whole gang, and each member got its own bag of beans.
My last step was to create actual merchandise for all the Dirtbags newfound fans on social. This was my first foyer into creating physical products and launching an online store. Overall, 15 different products and designs were created and sent off into the world.
