RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT REBRANDING HUDDERSFIELD PROJECT By Katie Kershaw (U1363553)
VERNACULAR HUDDERSFIELD As part of the group tasks regarding this project, we we’re asked to create 3 mood boards each defining certain topics. Rowan, Charlie, Sophie and myself set up several boards on Pinterest to help collectively gather images supporting our research. The first board represents Huddersfield town as a whole. It shows the essence of the area , including history, events, celebrities and other facts. Things we took into consideration from this research include the University and student life involved and the history of businesses and movement throughout time.
The second board includes research about the local coffee shops, as this is the area we chose to venture in as a group. There appeared to be many small independent cafés in the centre which were in need of a rebrand, however you can see my further research of this later in this document. The final mood board is based on the target audiences of these independent coffee shops. Together, we created a survey for the cafés to fill out which helped us get a better idea of who they targeted and what they had to offer to connect with these people.
You can find the whole of our group research by visiting our blog here: https://hudslocalrebrand.wordpress.com/
Vernacular Huddersfield, Group mood board
Coffee Shop’s in Huddersfield, Group mood board
Coffee Shop’s target audience, Group mood board
FORMATS & PLATFORMS During the group research, I built a mind map to allow us to see what platforms we could use to help the local businesses reach out to potential customers. I looked into the different types of businesses we came across during out research that appeared would benefit from a complete rebrand.
I found that food based businesses could use a wide variety of outcomes to promote themselves, along with Supermarkets and general stores. Fashion and Beauty followed close by, however we will now look at which stores are in most need of a refreshing look.
INDEPENDENT BUSINESSES After collecting images of the independent businesses in Huddersfield centre, I analysed the information and concluded that food and beverage is the largest competitive market, closely followed by beauty and fashion. I noticed that quite frankly, nearly all the businesses had very poor design aesthetics, particularly cafés and salons. We considered the signage of the stores and found both good and bad examples of logo
design. It was clear that many of the businesses could benefit from a rebrand however. Many seemed to use plain typefaces that had no character and weren’t very creative or colourful at all. Some looked as if they had been designed using Word Art, appearing cheap and tacky. Some stores such as Calder Arts and Coffee Cali didn’t have consistent branding throughout their company at all, using different logos and colour schemes.
Independent businesses in local Huddersfield
INDEPENDENT CAFES As the food market seemed to have a lot more opportunities to give a total rebrand for the businesses, we decided to look further into the existing brands in the Huddersfield area. I have gathered images here and on the previous page so I can analyse which designs seem effective and which seem to need an update.
also feel that Blue Rooms, Coffee Cali and BotoFogo has a running theme throughout their building. They stick to the colour scheme of their brand as well as using consistent styles for their products and advertisements.
The reason we have chose Sizzlers is because the sign doesn’t seem to represent the takeaway well at all, infact the front from a distance looks almost like a gambling shop with the type and colour scheme.
As the food market seemed to have a lot more opportunities to give a total rebrand for the businesses, we decided to look further into the existing brands in the Huddersfield area. Here I have gathered images so I can analyse which designs seem effective and which seem to need an update.
The other businesses that we have looked at have very poor aesthetics, looking rather tacky and cheap. They have poor choice of typefaces and various logos for the same brand. The colour schemes look washed out and don’t catch the eye. Some businesses I feel we will be ignoring are the market cafés, as they won’t benefit as much as an actual store from a rebrand as they fit their surroundings well.
From the photo’s I feel I can only pick out a few which have good aesthetics, these are Bean Brothers, Barringtons and Shaake as their logo’s are bold, modern and give out positive vibes. I
The brands we have taken an interest in as a group are Espresso Corner, Sizzlers and thelattehut as they all seem to have potential but could vastly benefit from a rebrand.
The other two brands Espresso Corner and thelattehut have quite nice grounds. Through the window of Espresso Corner, the store looks to have a very kitsch style with unusual decor, the outside of the building doesn’t represent this at all. Whereas thelattehut stands by itself and seems to be quite a popular coffee bar. The shape of the grounds and gazebo gives potential to make the most of the surroundings and draw in more customers. The next stage of this process is to take a trip to the brands and find out more about the brands themselves, picking up the essence of the business, target market, competitors and product positioning.
Independent competing cafés in local Huddersfield Coffeevolution Espresso Corner Choosy’s tea and coffee Heritage Coffee Mill Bistro Cafe Society 4 Cousins Coffee Kabin Time Circa 2010 Rhubarb Queenie’s Coffee shop Mymou Coffee Venecia Casa Gelato Edwards Creams British Luxury The Good Food Business Cafe Bliss The Little Kitchen The Blue Rooms Verve Annie’s Pantry Cafe Ollo Street Cafe Pumpkin Cafe Shop The Latte Hut
A STEP INSIDE I have selected a few small independent coffee shops which I feel are close competitors due to their popularity criteria, surroundings and affordability. As a group, we decided to pay these places a visit to get a feel of the places and hand out a survey that we had designed. The survey helped us get a better idea of their target markets, how they want to appear to the public eye, and what they have to offer. Coffeekabin Had a very warm and inviting atmosphere with up cycled kitsch items. Black board for menus and glass jars for sugar pots. They also featured a water station and sold unique independent products. It was a very cosy place with a rustic feel. Espresso Corner Very similar atmosphere to Coffeekabin except a little tackier. Although still quite small, seemed a lot more open due to
the glass front windows. Featured a bike on the wall and an illustrated black board menu. Didn’t sell as many unique products however had just as good food selection. Old school desks for tables and recycled syrup tins for sugar pots. Seemed very homely and friendly but could do with a modern update or refresh to the branding. The Courtyard One of a kind tea room, quite well hidden in an alleyway. Very vintage and thrifted aesthetics. Feature wall with plates and paintings. Had lots of decor such as teapots, art and bunting. Various mix and match cake stands and 1960’s furniture. Unusual in comparison to the other coffee shops in the area. Quite busy on the eye, seemed quite claustrophobic but had a nice warming atmosphere. Coffee Cali Typical coffee place, similar to the style of Costa Coffee. Seemed a more
expensive place in comparison to the others, wouldn’t say it fitted in quite the same category. Nothing special about the decor. Modern simple look. Branding flowed quite fluently through the design, however it appears a little plain. Nothing to make it stand out from the market, could do with an update to add interest. The survey results showed that the majority sold hot & cold drinks, sandwiches & paninis, cakes and hot food. They all had a take-out survey while only half offered free wifi. They shared the same target audiences including students, families, labourers, occasionally OAPS, parents and tourists aged on average 18-40. The most popular items sold included lattes and paninis and most offered student discount or other promotions. Only one said they had spent money on advertising (£5001k), as the most popular method used seemed to be social media, particularly Facebook and Twitter.
CoffeeKabin
Espresso Corner
The Courtyard
Coffee Cali
ESPRESSO CORNER Espresso Corner is a small independent coffee shop in the centre of Huddersfield. It has a cosy rustic feel combined with 1950’s decor. The tables are old school desks and the sugar jars are up-cycled syrup tins. The wall features a vintage bicycle and old fashioned lamps. In the corner there is a large red retro speaker and comfy looking arm chairs. What seems to make it unique against other coffee shops is it’s taste for kitsch decorations. The menu is an illustrated black board and the labelling of food is handmade. It has a real homely feel and a very neutral colour scheme. The branding of Espresso Corner doesn’t appear to be fluent at all. The café itself has a simple font face, while on social media and the
products inside have been updated to a more minimalistic approach, using a shapes and geometric text as their new logo. This gives the brand a confusing message as I find it difficult to understand what the logo implies. I also feel it has a very unfinished look and doesn’t reflect the look and feel of the place itself. During the group tasks, I took out a survey to find out more specific information about Espresso Corner, including who their target market is and how they promote themselves. Espresso Corners target audience are aged 18-40 year old, they welcome students, lecturers, workers, families and couples. As the café is based in a student town, they offer student discount and other promotional offers
to attract their customers, as well as free wifi. Their most popular product is their panini and lattes. I came across a short film by James, the owner of the café, who explains the story behind Espresso Corner. In 2013, he had the idea to open his own cafe to show his dedication to coffee and provide the best coffee in town with high quality ‘red brick beans’. These are changed seasonally to ensure they have the best beans of the season. Espresso Corner has slowly developed their equipment and tried to branch out through social media. I feel the main thing Espresso Corner is missing is personality and life in the branding to show the market what they’re really all about.
Questionnaire completed by James, Co-founder & Manager
Mood board based on current aesthetics of Espresso Corner
A NEW BEGINNING Espresso Corner is a very bland and uncreative name. It gives the café no personality and has no reflection to the look and feel of the place. I also feel it lacks freedom for the logo as it is very long and has limited visuals. I have decided to explore other possible names for the café while considering how these may work across other platforms such as social media and packaging. The business names I feel work well from this mind map are Edge Eleven, Crumbs & Coffee, Coffee Club, Bean Bar and Tastebase (The Eleven is because on the menu, there are 11 flavours of coffee available and also because it is number 11 on the street).
Alliteration seems to give the name a ring to it, making it easy to remember and also gives more play when coming to designing a logo. Rhyming also has the same effect. After a little thinking I have decided to go with Crumbs & Coffee. I thought about using it the other way round, or changing crumbs to cake. However I think crumbs gives it a more relaxed and personalised feel to it. Coffee and cake sounds more like a statement where as crumbs gives it that homely light hearted touch and has more of a ring to it. I think the initials ‘C&C’ will give room to play with the aesthetics of the brand also.
POTENTIAL APPROACHES Continuing to work in our group of four, we began to create concept mood boards of how Espresso Corner may look if they took a different design approach. This is to help us visualise the colour schemes, logo design and branding as a whole for the future of the business. Opposite are the boards designed by my team members. I found the ‘Earthly’ mood board to be visually pleasing in response to the current interior of Espresso Corner. Using distressed wooden textures and natural features would suit the ‘throw-together’ and upcycling look of the interior. Turning the page over
you can see the concepts designed by myself. I decided to base one of what I feel is the current state of the café, - an old school combined with a rustic feel. Chalkboards been used for menus, recycled materials for promotion, vintage type and decor. I feel this gives a true representation of the visuals Espresso Corner is hoping to achieve. I also create a retro mood board, which I feel would be a quirky mix in with their current style. Featuring decor of old bicycles, retro drinks, and a pop of bright colours to lighten up the place and give it that positive character.
‘Earthly’ Concept mood board by Charlie Harris
‘English Tea’ Concept mood board by Rowan Hunt
‘Victorian’ Concept mood board by Rowan Hunt
‘Icecream Dream’ Concept mood board by Sophie Jackson
Concept mood board based on a rustic & old school theme
Concept mood board based on a retro & kitsch theme
LOGO AESTHETICS After analysing the aesthetics, feel and values of Crumbs & Coffee I decided to create a new mood board of visuals that I feel relate to the same style. This includes packaging, interior design, typography, signage and colour schemes. This will come in useful when designing the aesthetics as I will be able to compare the current look of the café to other similar designs which are eye catching and successful in making the right atmosphere. I have chosen a variety of natural looking textures such as wood and recycled paper for packaging, black and white schemes to keep things fresh and harmonise the chalkboard menu. Old school decor such as the wall hangings and vintage signs which are similar to the current visuals in
Crumbs & Coffee. I will look back to this mood board for reference when developing the branding guidelines. This mind map is designed to help me generate ideas for the visuals of Crumbs & Coffee’s logo. I have thought about a selection of art movements which may compliment the feel of the café. As it has an old school look to the interior, I thought maybe a fifties, retro or vintage pin-up illustrations may compliment it. I then took visual ideas from the name and aesthetics of the place which I could use as the feature in the logo. Coffee cups, food and typography seemed obvious ones, while using blackboard style and upcycled textures could add it’s unique touch to the branding.
TYPEFACES After look at interior design, packaging and colour schemes which relate to Crumbs & Coffee’s current style, I decided to take a look at various fonts which have the same feel. I chose a variety of western styles, serif and sans serif and typewriter. Each have either a crisp clear font or a vintage/old school look which you could imagine on a black and white chalkboard or old coffee shop sign. My favourites I feel which support the current style of Crumbs & Coffee are Docktin, Typewriter condensed, Bebas and Odin Rounded. I will be taking these into consideration when sketching up ideas for the rebrand of the café. This could be for the packaging,
logo, menu or interior decals. I aim to have them all relating to each other so the style and typefaces run fluently throughout the brand, making it more recognisable. For body text regarding the branding guidelines and any other media such as menu’s or promotional flyers. I took a quick look at my favourite typefaces for this purpose. I like these fonts as I feel they are crisp and clean and easily eligible. I feel mostly drawn to Futura as it’s bold and sharp and has the more personality. However, the final choice will come depending on the typeface or logo chosen for Espresso Corner. I want to ensure that both complement each other.
CRUMBS & COFFEE
CRUMBS & COFFEE
CRUMBS & COFFEE
CRUMBS & COFFEE
CRUMBS & COFFEE
CRUMBS & COFFEE
Go 2 Old Western
Bebas
CRUMBS&COFFEE Impact Label
CRUMBS & COFFEE
CRUMBS & COFFEE
CRUMBS & COFFEE
Neon Lights
Parmapetit
CRUMBS & COFFEE
CRUMBS & COFFEE
Nixie One
DJB This is my Life
Sketch Serif
Dust West
Linowrite
Odin Rounded
Brain Flower
CRUMBS & COFFEE
CRUMBS & COFFEE
Docktin
Typewriter Condensed
Minion Pro
Futura
Helvetica
Courier New
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INITIAL IDEAS After completing enough research to feel confident knowing what style Crumbs & Coffee was looking for, I began sketching up possible logo ideas. I have several ideas that I feel would work well here but particularly like a certain few which I will develop on the next page. I enjoyed experimenting with the layout and using the initials and lettering to
make subtle visuals. I think the use of double ‘C’s have made this more adventurous, enabling me to play with symmetry. I had the idea to make they face each other to create the shape of a coffee bean, or turning them on their sides to create cups. However, some of these looked too plain and had no real character to them, while others looked childish or had too much detail. The best ones are type based in opinion as it makes the name have a stronger pressence.
DEVELOPMENT I have selected which I feel are my strongest visuals for the logo and played around with them a little. I have tried combining idea’s using my favourite aspects. My favourite from these has to be the typography based ideas and the coffee cup stain as I feel they are more professional and stronger compared to the others. The ‘&’ based ones aren’t very clear and I feel even if they were developed, they are more childlike and don’t support the brand image very well. I do think the cups that create the ‘&’ was a clever idea, but I don’t think it’s very clear and wouldn’t be as effective across a variety of prints. To help narrow down my choices, I began to play with various layouts
to see what the designs would look like landscape and portrait. This is because I would preferably need two different layouts to enable them to work effectively across all media, from signage to uniform and business cards. This is when I realised that the ones with stronger type worked better because when they have been rescaled, they are still clear and easy to read. This caused me to discard the bottom half of the right hand page. I also thought using the cup and bean for ‘U’ and ‘O’ was playful and gave the logo it’s unique touch, however I didn’t like the problem it caused with the kerning between ‘U’ and ‘M’, and so i have chosen to stray away from the cup.
DEVELOPMENT Here is my chosen design for the logo, however before jumping to a final decision I thought it would be best to experiment with typefaces, kerning, colour and positioning to achieve the best possible outcome. My personal favourites that I think compliment the brand well would be (from left to right): 1, 6, 7 and 9. These all use the same typeface and look tidy, sharp and clean. They can be
used in monochrome and stand out well. The rest have a ‘clique’ look to them or look too ‘bold’ for the style of the café. I have decided to go with no#9 as I think it looks quirky with the crumbs filling in the white space. Before finalising I will editing the kerning, spacing and size as neaten up the crumbs and coffee bean to give it the finishing touches.
FINAL LOGO Here is the final logo for Coffee & Crumbs presented in both it’s landscape and portrait layout. The main design will be the landscape logo as it’s compact and stands stronger together, however the use of the logos will differ when it comes to placing it on different media such as packaging and promotion. I am quite pleased with the outcome of my design as I feel it compliments the aura of Crumbs & Coffee. It has a minimalistic look that appears fresh and diverse. Although I think it stands strong in monochrome, I will look into colour schemes for the branding and possible textures that can be used throughout the design. This will allow the brand image to remain in harmony
and have a fluent design throughout the café. Specifications: & = Typeface: Typewriter Condensed: Bold, 228pt Horizontally scaled 70% Crumbs = Typeface: Typewriter Condensed: Bold, 100pt Horizontally scaled 82%, Space between lines 80% Leading 78pt, Tracking 60% Coffee = Typeface: Typewriter Condensed: Regular, 228pt Horizontally scaled 82%, Tracking 60%
Original logo
Landscape version
COLOUR PALETTES Using the mood boards I created during my research, I picked out a selection of colours. The monochrome goes without saying as the logo will not always need to be in colour. I created some colour palettes which I felt reflected the interior of the store as well as the logo and experimented with them on different media. These mostly consisted of various shades of browns and creams to suit the old school desks and wooden flooring. I then felt inspired by my retro mood board and felt the schemes needed a little colour to brighten up the place. I also feel this will give the brand a sense of trust and positivity, making it feel much more welcoming and lively. I decided that blue and red seemed
to fit in well with the crockery and upcycled syrup jars in the store, as well as the bright red retro speakers. However, I felt red was too ‘in your face’ and began to experiment with softer colours such as pinks and teals. These give out a much more friendly vibe. Finishing the palette is the yellow which will be used in publications such as the menus and guidelines. This will help to high light important bits of contrast against dark backgrounds as opposed to white. I will work with my chosen colour palette (the bottom row) and see how this goes along with the other brands aesthetics.
#ca285a r:202 g:40 b:90 c:16 m:98 y:51 k:2
#2bd2a7 r:38 g:210 b:167 c:66 m:0 y:48 k:0
#f8eb48 r:253 g:232 b:10 c:3 m:1 y:90 k:0
#523923 r:82 g:57 b:35 c:45 m:61 y:81 k:40
#211a0a r:33 g:26 b:10 c:61 m:63 y:81 k:74
#f7f2ef r:247 g:242 b:239 c:0 m:2 y:3 k:4
TEXTURES & PHOTOGRAPHY This mood board is to visualise the potential photography and textures that will go along with Crumbs & Coffee’s branding. These could be used through promotional items such as coffee sleeves or the menus, or just as decor for interior design. I have chose a selection of textured woods, distressed and worn-out. Along with gratified school desks as these are used inside the premises. The graffiti must not include bad language or anything that may offend the customers. Chalkboard texture is also important as it is currently used to display prices behind the counter and gives it that personalised touch.
As the café’s target market is aimed at mostly 18-40 year old, we want to try keep things ‘hip and cool’ but still keep the old-school kitsch vibes. Photography may include black and white vintage images, filtered photos (like Instagram), polaroids, etc. Suggested features could include old fashioned cars & vehicles, food & beverage, retro themed fashion or places or general café related images. Try to avoid sexualised or offensive material as younger categories are also potential customers to the business, as well as OAPS, so it’s best to try keep things that promote positivity and warmth to all age groups.
Mood board of potential textures and photography styles
APPLICATIONS After deciding upon the logo, typefaces, colour schemes, photography and textures I would like to involve in the branding of Coffee & Crumbs, I feel I am ready to put together the branding guidelines.
should be used in all circumstances except when the landscape version is better suited due to technical or visual purposes (e.g the pens have a small surface to work on so in this case the landscape version works better).
Here are some examples of how the logo and colour schemes may be applied to media, showcasing stationary, signage, packaging, digital media and uniform. The original logo
The logo may be applied to further applications such as social media, flyers, menus, products and interior decor.
BRANDING GUIDELINES RESEARCH Before putting together the branding guidelines for Coffee & Crumbs, I thought it would be best to take a look at what I could include. As this was only a short project and nothing too serious, I don’t want to go into too much detail and overload the business with strict rules. I want something that will be easy to read and give clear guidance of how to produce consistent design through out their brand while building trust and a relationship with their customers. I began by taking a look online at what larger companies have used in their guidelines so that I could pick out the sections I felt would be important for the cafés. Many seemed strict about the usage of the logo while others encouraged to experiment.
As Crumbs & Coffee is a small independent business and there is only one café currently open. There is lots of room to be playful and ‘break the rules’. However, I would still like to keep a consistent design running through out the brand and the basic rules must be followed to ensure this happens. Here is a list of what I will include in my branding guidelines: • • • • • • •
Introduction to the company Target Market Logo useage Colour pallettes Textures & Imagery Tone of Voice Typography
NHS Childrens ‘s Trust Branding Guidelines
Adobe Branding Guidelines
iTunes Branding Guidelines
Costa Coffee Branding Guidelines
BRANDING GUIDELINES LAYOUTS I did some quick sketches to give myself an idea of what approach I would take for the layouts. Creating an A4 or A3 document was my first thought as this is the most common layout for branding guidelines. I experimented with both landscape and portrait to see how I could lay out the content. I felt landscape had the best canvas to set information out clearly and images semmed to look neater and ‘in place’.
However, I found some examples of square formats for branding guidelines and thought they looked convenient size. Easy to grab and flick through when referring to the guidelines. They also allowed me to use an easy 9x9 grid that gave the book balance and organisation. I think the small compact size would be great for guidedance and will take some of these sketches for inspiration when designing my document.
EVALUATION Overall, I am pleased with how this project has turned out. It has been a new challenge I haven’t taken before and I now feel I have a better idea of the real tasks graphic designers may be set with in the real world. I have realised the importance of branding guidelines and how they can aid in the sucess of a business, particullary small businesses who want to get their name out there. Branding guidelines can help to build realtionships and trust with customers while expresses the companies values and characteristics. Espresso Corner didn’t have a consistent design running through their brand. Their logo seemed unoriginal and didn’t have any relation to the name. However, inside the café had potential and a sense of unity in the decor. It definately had room for improvement and just needed a fluent
brand. The guidelines I have created have transformed Espresso Corner into Crumbs & Coffee. It has a much more brighter and positive feel and I think it would really work well with the values of the team and their attitude. The areas I found difficult the most was working in a team as we all worked at our own pace in different ways. Some were laid back while others worried. This project has taught me that when working in a group, communication is important as it is key to ensuring you are fully aware of what is been done and what needs doing. Another part I struggled with was how to create the guidelines themselves. I found the examples from University were quite plain and formal and I didn’t feel like I knew enough about branding guidelines to create my own. After researching, I decided to just give it
a go and it became much easier as I just experimented with layout and content. Not only do I feel I have developed my knowledge in branding, but I have improved my skills in Indesign and editorial work. I know feel more confident to work in this area and create a decent page. I have also improved my skills in Illustrator and designing logo’s which is something I will be considering to specialise in my third year. If I was to do anything different through this project, I would have managed my time better to ensure I kept on track and didn’t rush any design work. Working alongside other project, I find it difficult to manage my time but I am working on this towards my deadlines.
To see the full finalised guidelines visit: http://issuu.com/katiekershaw/docs/c_c_ branding_guidelines