DESIGN A CRAIG BOWMAN

DIFFERENCE

CONTENTS

Design a difference?

What can you do?

Preferred ideas

Chosen idea

Ideas for the Brief

Project Brief

My Ideas for a coffee house

Research

Brand name/requirements

Logo/ name development

Cup design

Tea bag poster design

Example of tea bag net

Gift card poster design

Coffee tin packaging

Providing a difference?

1

2

5

7

8

9

11

11/12

13

14

15/16

17

18

18

19

20

DESIGN A DIFFERENCE?

The aim of this project is for each of us to work in an assigned group and discuss and identify a suitable subject that would benefit from our individual professional and creative contribution. This includes ideas of sustainability, food consumption, ethics and technology.

Alternatively we could even focus on an interesting yet company or organisation for a potentially more challenging outcome.

The subject we decide to focus on could range from an awareness campaign; brand development to new packaging or information design and the outcome could take a range of forms and media.

As a group we will have to agree on the subject and prepare a written Brief that stipulates this subject, the context of our planned design response, what we are required to do and the intended deliverables.

Many of the organizations and societies that represent the visual communication community make efforts to articulate what we do and why wider society can use our ideas and skills in a beneficial way.

Importantly this advocacy is useful in promoting the commercial and cultural value of design.

What can you do? What are your skills? How would you like your work to be perceived?

1

WHAT CAN YOU DO?As a group we decided to brainstorm a list of all the things we didnt like or thought could use with alot of improvement. We found ourselves mentioning lots of companies that we were exposed to daily, whether they happened to be shops and businesses that we pass on the way to university, or a particular advert that we have seen or remember for a bad reason.

Our list also included charities, we felt that our

design ideas and skills could potentially benefit them in giving them greater exposure and prevelance.

Following this initial brainstorm we returned the following day with four individual, well thought out ideas. Pages 6 & 7 shows each of our four preferences, one out of these four ideas was chosen as the best. The best meaning that we felt that this particular subject could benifit from our skills in designing a difference.

2

3

4

ARGOSASDA

M.S CHARITY COOL FM

HILTON HOTELCITY SIGHT SEEING

STARBUCKS COFFEEHOUSE OF FRASER

THE IDEA IS TO CREATE AN A NEW BRAND

OF KIDS BEVERAGES

THAT COMPLIMENT

THE EXISTING BRANDING

THE IDEA IS TO REBRAND THE

CHARITY IN THE HOPE THAT

OUR SKILLS CAN HELP

RAISE MONEY

5

BOOTSTESCOCAFE NEROBT

UNI OF ULSTERA HOTELCOFFEE HOUSETRANSLINK

THE IDEA IS TO CREATE AN INDIVIDUAL COFFEE HOUSE THAT DIFFERS FROM WHAT BELFAST HAS TO OFFER

THE IDEA IS TO IMPROVE THE BRAND AND MAKE IT MORE SUITED TO STUDENTS THAN IT CURRENTLY IS

6

CHOSEN IDEA?

REBRANDING/ CREATING

A COFFEE HOUSE

7

As a group we have noticed that Belfast has a large variety of coffee shops and cafes. However we thought a large amount of these do not provide something unique and different to their competitors.

Many of the larger well known chain coffee shops such as Starbucks, and Costa Coffee draw in the customers but do not really integrate that well into the surrounding community, and they are all essentially the same.

As students at the University of Ulster Belfast campus we found ourselves questioning the branding of The Streat cafe, we all felt that it was far too corperate and bland. We believe that there should be an alternative, better designed and thought out place for students and non students to go for a coffee.

Independant/ locally based coffee houses tended to be better integrated into the community however some were lacking in good design. We would like to create a mix of the best each type of place.

IDEAS FOR A COFFEE SHOP BRIEFWHAT

COULD THE

BRIEF ENTAIL?

Rebrand an existing chain of coffee houses such as

Starbucks, Costa Coffee or Clements

Rebrand an existing local coffee house

Create a new coffee house experience

Create a new range of childrens beverages in a large chain such as Starbucks, that

fits with the existing brand but has its own uniqueness

about it

Develop a range of seasonal promotional items for either

a chain or a local coffee house, these could range from

creating christmas/easter/summer/halloween themed packaging that ties in with

the current branding or create to creating a series of

advertising posters

8

PROJECT BRIEF

9

THE CHALLENGEWhat was once the humble coffee shop has turned into something that can become an international corporation, as Starbucks, Caffé Nero and Costa have so successfully demonstrated. Its evident there is money to be made in the market as everyone needs to have a seat, a snack and a drink at some point in their busy day. However sometimes it’s nice to go somewhere you know is unique and that you won’t find in every other street corner across the world. Although the big names make an effort to make all their costumers feel important sometimes you can’t help but feel you’re just another money sign to them, in their quest for world domination. With this in mind you are required to create something that will make a difference in the current coffee shop climate.

THE BRIEFYour job is to design a new brand of coffee shop based in Belfast. It should stand out from the already established shops in the area and target the university student market. The shop doesn’t need to conform to what the standard coffee shop supplies; it can supply a wider range of items or you can make the focus on something other than coffee, it’s up to you.

REQUIREMENTSYou are required to come up with the name for the shop and design its image/identity.

DELIVERABLESThis part is somewhat open. You can design a campaign that will advertise and promote the new shop. Or you can show designs for the range of things the store will use such as the coffee cups, the menus the store frontage, etc. Choose whichever you feel will best demonstrate and communicate the brand that you’ve came up with.

10

After devising the final brief we each head our separate ways to tackle the said brief individually.

To enable me to successfully fulfil the challenges the brief talks of I had to do extensive research as to get an idea of what sort of things are in and around Belfast.

I personally am more familiar with the larger multinational corporations like Starbucks, than I am with the local chains and individual coffee houses.

Early on I decided that I want to combine the idea that the Coffee house I will have the uniqueness and community input of a small local coffee house but combine the range of goods, adaptability and potential for expansion into a chain like Starbucks.

Some of the places I researched would implement the use of 100% Fairtrade coffee, I felt strongly that my coffee house should implement this idea and promote this fact. They will promote the fact that as much of the ingredients used are organic.

With global warming still an issue I felt that packaging design should be recyclable and reusable, with designs nice enough that people may want to keep and use for other things.

Students will be provided with an attractive discount upon showing their student identification. Where available jobs will be given preferably to them. They will also be offered the chance to design the packaging when

the refresh stage occurs.The coffee house will also be available as a multiuse venue; the adjoining gallery space will be attractive to art students who would like to exhibit their work to a potentially large audience.

This coffee house will have good ethics and values.

To increase interest at seasonal periods places such as Starbucks rebrand a selection of their packaging, such as cups menus their website and advertising.

MY VIEWS/IDEAS ON CREATING A DIFFERENCE WITH A NEW COFFEE HOUSE

11

RESEARCHA SMALL SELECTION OF RESEARCH IMAGES

12

Following my research I decided that Exchange St. Coffee needed to have the following things:

A suitable Logo Design

A standard cup design

A set of three designs for the Christmas cups, one for each size of cup, Large, Medium and Small. They should be unique and charming but yet still evoke the identity of the normal branding

A range of three types of luxury teas, and supporting advertising

A gift card scheme, and supporting advertising

A selection of packaging for Freshly Roasted Coffee Beans

sophisticated/ adaptable

clean fresh and simple

potential to be more experimental and create a series of illustrated characters and fit in with the traditional themes of christmas

sophisticated to match the idea of it being luxury, advertising should match

advertising should be clear and match the other branding

typographic based, promotes fairtrade coffee

After the research stage I wanted to come up with the brand name, this was important as it could make or break the brand. The name ultimately changed three times during the first few days, these were ‘Nest’, ‘Empire Coffee’ ultimately leading to the chosen name: ‘Exchange St. Coffee.’

13

Nest was chosen to evoke a bird’s nest; it felt homely, welcoming and warm. The idea would have suited the idea of organic natural produce and promoting the environment. Bird motifs would have played a key part in the design, with details such as origami tea bag birds.

The brand name, Empire Coffee succeeded because I felt the name was too similar to the brand of coffee Nescafe, with the potential problem of people saying “Nest-café.” I felt the name was a strong name, it has many historical ties thus providing many things I could do with the branding. It links with the idea of the past empires travelling around the world collecting ‘exotic’ coffee beans and teas.

The final name, Exchange St. Coffee was chosen following an article I read about Starbucks coffee opening a select few unbranded stores in different boroughs in New York City. They named the stores after the street they were located on. I felt that this was appropriate for my coffee house as it would mean people would know where it is and if it became successful it would also promote Belfast itself.

14

STANDARD CUP DESIGN WITH LOGO

LARGE XMAS CUP DESIGN

15

LARGE XMAS CUP DESIGN

MEDIUM XMAS CUP DESIGN

SMALL XMAS CUP DESIGN

16

LUXURY TEA BAGS ADVERTISING POSTER

17

LUXURY TEA BAGS ADVERTISING POSTER LUXURY TEA BAGS NET (EARL GREY)

GIFT CARD ADVERTISEMENT

18

HOUSE BLEND- FRESH ROASTED WHOLE BEAN COFFEE PACKAGING

BREAKFAST BLEND- FRESH ROASTED WHOLE BEAN COFFEE PACKAGING

FRENCH ROAST- FRESH ROASTED WHOLE BEAN COFFEE PACKAGING

(STICKERS TO BE PUT ON SILVER TINS)

19

PROVIDING A DIFFERENCEThis newly introduced Coffee house really does provide a difference to the students and the rest of Belfast.

Its fabulously designed and thought out products really give the brand a distinct edge that makes it stand out against the competition. Its values and use of fairtrade and organic products lets the customer know that they are

getting the finest quality and most ethical coffee around, all for a small price.

The fact that the gallery space is open for students for such things as final exhibitions really makes Exchange St. Coffee feel like it belongs to them. This sense of belonging makes them want to come back again and again. ?

20