CORE PRODUCT DESIGN
I led the creative direction for the rebrand of our core CPG offering: the 12oz retail bag. I selected a color scheme that was warm, inviting, and denoted the country of origin. Our brand targeted the thoughtful consumer and intended to be instrumental in educating audiences since we were a relatively young brand, slowly carving out our place in the craft coffee market. All the coffees Huckleberry offers are exceptional in quality, so I didn’t want one bag to stand out over another. I wanted whichever bag the consumer picked to be just as good and sound just as delicious as any other bag they could have selected.
CUSTOM MERCHANDISE
Huckleberry is a brand that doesn’t take itself too seriously. People know that we're serious about coffee but also like to be colorful and have fun. I designed a coffee mug that would pay homage to the classic diner cup in a colorful way. I also knew the majority of our audience cared that we were Colorado-based and through research discovered that people gravitate toward coffee merchandise that's locally focused.
LOGOTYPE REDESIGN
I was responsible for managing the redesign of our main logotype. At the point of this redesign, we had two retail locations, over 50k CPG units, a website, and so many pieces that had our old logo. I managed the successful rollout of this logo in coordination with the phasing out of the old one. We wanted a logotype that was simpler and focused solely on the name HUCKLEBERRY.
Part of the logotype redesign included introducing a logomark. We wanted something that contained our signature H for HUCKLEBERRY but also communicated something deeper. The H horizontal line and circle hide the shape of a coffee bean. This logomark gave us the opportunity to create more merchandise and increase revenue significantly.
BRAND EXTENSION
Further building on the brand’s mission of not taking ourselves too seriously, I wanted to find small ways of injecting personality into inanimate objects such as the top of a coffee bag.
I built a pattern that could be used in many different ways down the road. I wanted a three-tone blue pattern that didn’t feel too complex but was still a pretty backdrop to the top third of the retail bag. Future potential uses included the two combined trapezoids representing a coffee bean, extracting various pattern combinations to further denote the coffee’s origin.
COLLABORATIVE MERCHANDISE DESIGN
I worked with the team at the outdoor retailer Topo Designs to introduce a truly unique product to our customers during peak holiday shopping season. We wanted to create something simple and elegant that would fit in well with the current brand aesthetic. I designed the template, selected all the materials and colors, and managed the complex project of working with local producers to successfully roll out a high-ticket merchandise item.