Real Coffee Collective
Real Coffee Collective is a local Southern California coffee cart service business, where business owners, Keoni and Katie Real, turned their love for coffee into a space for community. They have been able to curate and craft experiences with their cart, serving flavors that connect coffee and their cultural roots. They were looking for an integration of cultural identity and symbolism to represent their mission and purpose in their branding and merchandise.
I developed a visual identity, designing their logo, initial beginnings to branding, and visually compelling collateral for print.
BRAND STRATEGY
VISUAL IDENTITY
LOGO DESIGN
PRINT DESIGN
Merchandise and Print Designs
Brand Strategy
Real Coffee Collective was born from a love of coffee and community, where we established their branding and visual identity would express inviting energy and reflect a sense of cultural roots. We focused on a Japanese-inspired art style that minimal and balanced.
I produced style proposals and a variety of logo designs that reflected our conversations, their visual goals, and their personal identities.
Style and Logo Proposals
Logo Design Across Applications
This logo was centered on community, designed to be a symbol that holds meaning only when experienced within the context of the brand. The mark's beginnings draw inspiration from the spirit of gathering and shared space. The open circle encourages a communal location, while remaining open and adaptable. This path the circle creates lead to this location, while replicating the image of a steaming cup of coffee.
To create a cohesive yet flexible logo identity system, I developed the logotype to be used with banners and signage in mind. The variation maintained the brand's core visual language while adapting to scale, environment, and function to ensure clarity across all touch points.
Final Logo Designs
Visual Identity
The visual identity features a vintage-inspired palette of muted red and blue against an off-white background, evoking warmth, familiarity, and a sense of heritage. To further build out the brand, I designed supporting patterns and graphic assets that reflect paths to connection while appearing as a literal cup, creating a cohesive system that feels both timeless and personal while achieving the goal of meaning in context of the brand.
Typography, Colors, Brand Assets
Touchpoints
To support the brand’s launch and in-person presence, I designed a set of print collateral.
Each piece carried through the visual identity—integrating the logo, color palette, and patterns—to create a cohesive and memorable brand experience in both functional and tactile ways.
Business Cards, Flyers, Stickers
