Cafe Red

PROJECT TYPE: Branding

The largest project I’ve worked on to date...but it included much more than your standard brief. I designed everything from scratch, including branding, packaging, social media marketing pieces, signage, and menus, all while also installing electrical outlets, training new staff, and chasing down patio umbrellas.

rise & shine: bike-powered cafe

Eventually (mercifully) we found a permanent home: a converted construction office trailer. It wasn’t glamorous, but it had walls and a roof, which was a big upgrade. Through our time as a bike cart, we gained invaluable on-the-ground insight into the neighbourhood, where we learnt the rhythms, values, and personality of South Seattle and the Othello community. This became the foundation of our brand.

Many speciality coffee shops in the Pacific Northwest lean toward minimalism: concrete everything, lots of white and grey and ecru. But that didn’t reflect the colourful, multicultural spirit of our neighbourhood. So we made a different choice.

Our brand would be:

Friendly: approachable for everyone, no matter their coffee knowledge or walk of life

Fun: vibrant and vivacious

Bold: visually and culturally

This philosophy influenced everything from our logo and colour palette to event posters, interior signage, and even sandwich names (I’m lookin’ at you, Vegan Morgan).

The logo went through several iterations before we landed on the final version. While the original logo captured the theme, we wanted a direction that felt more open, friendly, and distinctive.

The final design features sun rays and mountains, representing both the Pacific Northwest landscape and coffee-growing regions. We paired this with a tall geometric sans-serif with rounded corners, echoing the logomark’s curved strokes and creating a softer, more approachable feel.

To align with our ethics, we shifted to an entirely plant-based menu, which was an existential risk: would customers miss eggs and dairy and never return? We focused on making the new offerings delicious first, vegan second.

Researching other speciality cafes in Seattle, we noticed many leaned toward minimalist, all-white aesthetics. To stay true to our core values of friendliness and inclusivity, as well as the eclectic, lively character of South Seattle, we embraced bold, playful design instead.

Targeting Millennials and Gen Z, the menu and packaging feature custom illustrations, joyful anthropomorphised food and drinks, and our signature Oatnilla character for the cold brew latte. Eye-catching colours pair with off-kilter typography: Chee for headlines, Retail Display for subheads and descriptions. It’s meant to evoke sunshine in a cup (and/or breakfast burrito).

So how did it go? The rebrand proved successful: despite the risk of going fully vegan, average daily sales more than doubled from $830 in 2019 to $1820 in 2022. The cohesive visual identity helped customers embrace the plant-based pivot while attracting new audiences drawn to our values-led approach.

The website extends our vibrant, playful brand online—featuring the same bold colors and cheerful illustrations that make our physical space feel welcoming. Visitors can explore our story, discover our local partners (including several POC-owned suppliers), and easily order products for pickup or delivery. The casual, friendly tone reflects our commitment to making specialty coffee approachable.