HWY68 Coffee House
My Role
Logo Design
Collateral Design
Brand Strategy
Audience Research
Client
Brenda & Donna
Year
2024
Identity & Branding
Real World Project
Project Overview
The Big Idea
In the bustling lanes of HWY68, there’s a gem—a coffeehouse run by Brenda and Donna, a mother-daughter duo passionate about serving their community. My goal? To craft a brand identity that boosts their visibility, gives them a stylish aesthetic, and creates recognition while staying true to their warm values.
The Goal
The goal of branding Café HWY68 was to enhance visibility, improve style, and gain recognition among locals and tourists aligning with their brand personality.
- Inviting
- Caring
- Community-oriented
- Southern Hospitality
- High-quality.
Key Objectives
- Increase Visibility
Design strong branding elements that stand out.
- Improve Aesthetics
Give the business a professional, cohesive look.
- Enhance Recognition
Create a memorable brand that fosters community and tourist engagement, and enhances visibility along Highway 68.
My Role
I partnered with Brenda and Donna to develop a comprehensive brand identity. My work included:
- Audience Research
Give the business a professional, cohesive look.
- Brand Style Template
Produced an easy-to-use template to maintain visual brand consistency across all materials.
- Extended Support
Assisted with marketing ideas, social media presence, and sourcing online printing for materials.
- Brand Strategy
Design strong branding elements that stand out.
- Logo Design
Designed a logo that felt personal and inviting, and leaned on the café's name and location.
- Collateral Design
This included business cards, road signage, and door signage concepts.
Sneak Peak
Key Learnings
- Clear branding transforms even the smallest business into a recognizable destination.
- Resourcefulness is critical with limited budgets.
- Education and collaboration are vital when clients lack tech skills.
Design Process
In this project, I often worked along HWY68, enjoying Brenda and Donna’s hospitality and delicious treats while gathering information about the target audience. As usual, to use my time most efficiently, I leveraged the help of AI to create personas and to structure my thoughts into clear, informative, and correct text.
Brenda expressed her wish to use the original HWY68 sign in the logo design and shared her favorite flower, and the connection to fond childhood memories is tied to the color magenta. That’s what I ran with. But building Café HWY68’s branding wasn’t without its challenges: limited budget, minimal tech skills, and no prior marketing experience. Here’s how I helped bring their vision to life.
Challenges
- Minimal Budget:
Small businesses like theirs often have financial constraints, requiring resourceful solutions.
- No Tech Know-How:
Ordering prints, designing a social media presence, and understanding digital tools seemed out of reach.
- Lack of Marketing Experience:
With no strategy in place, it was clear they needed marketing support that was simple yet impactful.
My Solutions
- Minimal Budget:
I took this project as an opportunity to showcase my skills, and in return, I received free coffee and food. Best trade ever!
- No Tech Know-How:
My offer extends to ordering any prints online and helping with social media if needed.
- Lack of Marketing Experience:
As a former businesswoman, my previous career experience proved once more beneficial in providing some marketing ideas to engage and increase customers. A little extra goodie that the Ladies appreciated.
Work Process
Step 1: Strategy & Research
I started by asking strategic but straightforward questions:
- What do Brenda and Donna love most about their café?
- Who are their customers, and what do they want?
- What sets Café HWY68 apart from nearby options?
Through these conversations, I realized Café HWY68 is all about connection: bikers catching up, families sharing sweet treats, and locals enjoying quality coffee. I translated their “from scratch with love” values into a design personality that feels approachable, warm, and memorable.
Personas
In order to effectively design for the target audience, I developed three key personas that represent various customers of the HWY68 Coffee House, with a focus on individuals aged 35-75.
+3 million impressions
The Local Mom
37, a mom who enjoys relaxed meetups with friends, good food and a welcoming atmosphere.
+3 million impressions
The Widowed Gentleman
73, a widower who is looking for affordable places to get his daily meals and connect with his community.
The Biking Tourist
50, a tourist from out of state who loves to hit the road and explore good places to eat and meet locals. He appreciates free Wi-Fi.
Step 2: Logo & Visual Branding
- Color Palette:
With the owner's wish in mind, I created a color palette with the desired intense pink, coffee bean brown, and refreshing white to establish consistency.
- Typography:
I paired a decorative script font for warmth with a clean sans serif font for easy readability.
- Logo Design:
Using Adobe Illustrator, I combined a coffee cup shape with the highway sign silhouette, rooted in their name "HWY 68." Bright pink represents love and joy, while deep coffee brown adds warmth.
Inspiration
Finished Prototype
Logo Icon
Taadaaa....
Step 3: Collateral Design
I crafted functional branding pieces for the café’s needs, like signs, business cards, and gift cards. In addition to a QR code, to encourage social media likes.
- Business Cards:
With the owner's wish in mind, I created a color palette with the desired intense pink, coffee bean brown, and refreshing white to establish consistency.
- Rewards Cards:
Drive repeat purchases with fun incentives like “Buy 10, Get 1 Free.”
- Gift cards & Bring-a-Friend Cards:
Encourage referrals and community engagement.
- Signage for the Door and Road:
Prioritized visibility for passersby and comfort for first-time customers.
Step 4: Style Guide
To help build consistency in future HWY68 materials, I created a practical style guide. It included color codes, font choices, logo, and other assets.
Final Thoughts
Next Steps
To show Brenda and Donna how easy it can be to implement their branding, from printing collateral to posting on social media, and introduce simple tools like scheduled social media posts or printable templates that will help the café stay consistent and active.
Key Learnings
- Clear branding transforms even the smallest business into a recognizable destination.
- Resourcefulness is critical with limited budgets.
- Education and collaboration are vital when clients lack tech skills.
In a Nutshell...
Branding a small business like Café HWY68 isn’t just about visuals—it’s about creating tools that make life easier for the owners while standing out to customers.
The project taught me the value of creating accessible designs for non-tech-savvy clients. Working around a limited budget challenges creativity and pushes resourcefulness in finding impactful solutions.
