An established coffee bar in a historic building needed a strong identity and menu system as it prepared to break ground on a second location.
Client Profile:
Harvest approached us as an established/branded coffee shop in downtown Bryan (Main St.). The term “coffee shop” doesn’t quite do their business justice. The distressed interior shows the historic bones of the building and their repurposed build-out materials create an unusual space to sample their coffee and international food pairings. Trey and Ashley Martin have built something that feels a world-away from Central Texas. They approached us when they were looking to open a second shop — this time a few yards from a major university. They had no website. Their Facebook hadn’t been touched in five months. People found the shop by passing it on the street or by the testimonial of other satisfied customers. This was a problem – they knew it, we knew it.
Problem/Goals:
With a second location in mind, we needed to develop a message and look that would feel integrated while speaking to a split clientele: downtown business (existing) and university students (new location). We would even have input on aesthetics/build out at the new shop. We were honored to direct user experience, barista customer service training, and merchandise design. They cut us loose and said “make it rad” — we were delighted!
Proposed Solution:
For design: we had Havana, Cuba in mind. Midcentury. Pastels. Coffee production Central America. We selected a dominant color for both shops and the coffee cups/saucers would stay on point. Our designers played off the “V” in the “HARVEST” name to make it a small planter with a coffee plant/cherries growing from its center. Botanic, but clean and modern, just like the selected fonts. We started to build their social media — wrote scripts for baristas and boosted their visibility. We started from zero, but the response has been strong. Impressions, likes, comments — it is moving in the right direction. We like that.
Concept / Process:
The interior of the existing storefront didn’t need much, but the new shop is being built as of this posting. The construction dust hangs thick in the air! We are ordering product — coffee mugs, and t-shirts, posters and menu boards. We will post images as they roll in. The website is wire-framed and nearing release. The mobile/bike orders offering is also in development. The most exciting part of the university location (Church Street, College Station TX) is the emphasis on creating an international community hub. There are thousands of students from all over the world within a few hundred yards of the new shop. We are hosting “Far Away Fridays” where flashing an international passport gets half-off drink orders. We have a dozen ideas of how we can cultivate a culture around great “food and fare” — this is the heartbeat of the owners and it will stand out in the market.
