At Whipsaw, we thrive on creative challenges that allow us to flex our design muscles and create memorable experiences. As a consultancy, we get the opportunity to partner with various teams across almost every industry imaginable. Whether for a physical or digital product challenge, future concept ideation, or a brand expression project, we strive to uncover the hidden needs of an audience to create experiences that resonate. In addition to our client-focused work, we like to keep our minds sharp and have some fun with internal projects. Introducing Foamcore Coffee, a lifestyle brand from Whipsaw.
Foamcore started as a little kernel of an idea: What if we could enhance the experience of enjoying a personalized coffee drink from our Italian espresso machine by giving it a name and imagining a whole world around it? At first, this lived as a simple brain dump of names and logos in Figma, until a lunchtime chat brought it out of the woodwork and gained some fandom. While other names were thrown around, “Foamcore” was an undeniable winner.
Foam-core boards are ubiquitous in a design studio. They're an amazingly adaptable material used for everything from mood boarding to post-it note clustering to building early large-scale models. The connection to our design studio and profession, coupled with the obvious callout to foamy cappuccinos, set the foundation for the brand.
Now that we had a vision for creating a brand showcase and a name to hang our hat on, we set out to develop the brand for our studio’s favorite coffee spot. Here is the story of how it all came together.
To start things off in earnest, we assembled a small team to align on a vision for our brand expression project. We knew we wanted to develop a brand style-scape, a refined logo, and other brand materials such as a t-shirt, stickers, and menu. The goal of course wasn’t to launch a coffee brand (though we will take partnership inquiries or acquisition offers!) - but rather to flex our brand design muscles to create something that connects with our team and maybe produces a laugh or two along the way - an inside joke that just clicks with other designers.
Our approach to developing brand styles starts with a focused ideation exercise where we pull together photos, graphics, and textures that, when grouped, create a distinct set of brand look and feel options. From here, we ask ourselves: What resonates most with the team? What style best captures our vision? Are we aligned with our target audience? Does it feel fresh and distinctive? Through this process, we down-select and refine the elements of the brand styles - the identity takes shape. We explore logo directions that align with the leading brand style directions. Designing with such an intentional approach helps us maintain the harmony between the brand and the desired experience, which leaves the door open to exploring options that push the envelope and uncover new possibilities.
What’s a coffee shop without a kick-ass T-shirt and sticker pack? The answer is boring. And since we aren’t boring and Foamcore isn’t a stale coffee brand, we needed to think about other materials that help bring the brand to life. Another area we explored was giving the logo some movement—something that evoked the physics of foam, light, and moldability.
Foamcore Coffee is not your average coffee brand. It showcases what can come about when you pair a creative team with a good idea. At its core (no pun intended), it’s a delightful experience that visitors to the Whipsaw studio and a brand our team can rally behind- because joy is at the heart of every great design. If you want to create or revamp your brand, we invite you to explore our expertise in target audience mapping, brand strategy, brand identity, and more. Let’s work together to make your brand unforgettable.
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