Project Description

Collected Coffee is a new high-end subscription-based retailer located in New York City. In order to stand out in the increasingly crowded specialty coffee market, Collected opted boldly for a curatorial approach that eschews the conventional mantra of consumer choice in favour of a guided exploration of a distinct bean and roast delivered fresh to subscribers’ doorsteps every month.

The task here was to capture the novel quality of this monthly coffee subscription service, which prides itself on its diverse selections informed by the finest expertise. We needed to successfully target the sophisticated connoisseurs, while at the same time attracting the curious enthusiasts who are willing (and able) to invest more in their coffee ritual for a higher quality product and more holistic experience.

We thus set out to create an intelligent and intriguing brand that would intuitively convey the team’€™s knowledge and care for the product, as well as their passion for the people who produce and enjoy it. Because of its subscription-based nature, we also considered the product as a fixture in customers’ homes, and sought to create a point of interest that would be kept visible on their counters.

Each monthly package of coffee comes with a z-fold booklet featuring the backstory of the coffee's origins, roaster, and process, as well as a recommended brewing method with detailed instructions. To underline the love and care at the heart of the Collected brand, a hand-signed “Thank you” card completes the ensemble, with both the cards and booklets printed on Crane’€™s Lettra 100% cotton paper, providing them with an extra soft and luxurious touch. Inspired by print publications, we settled on a design that was bright, essentialist and heavily focused on detail, with some quirkier elements added in to balance out the other aesthetic components.

The coffee itself is packaged in matte white thermoplastic polymer bags (polyethylene terephthalate and linear low-density polyethylene, to be precise), with the logo hot-stamped in matte blue. In order to match the paper of the coffee bag labels to the fine vellum quality of the accompanying print material, we selected Strathmore Bright White Wove, and had them printed in small runs by a local printer, rather than by the usual in-house label printer.

Where we had the most fun was in our collaboration with the talented photographer Cindy Boyce. Beginning with our initial brand process, we provided art direction and set design to create a world around the product.

We are excited to follow Collected on their adventures across the globe, and we’€™re delighted to be pursuing our work with them as they continue to refine their brand and offering.