Ninth Brew
Client
Ninth Brew Coffee Shop
Year
2023
Ninth Brew is a local coffee shop passionate about sustainability and community. They wanted a brand identity that reflected those values: minimalistic, simple, elegant, with nothing extra getting in the way of the essential elements of coffee.
Scope of Work
Brand Strategy
Packaging Design
The mark
The logo is inspired by a coffee cup placed on a saucer. It embodies minimalism through clean lines and seamlessly incorporates the number "9" into a sleek, modern aesthetic, the kind of mark that rewards a second look without needing it explained.
I set it inside a ring, giving it the weight of a stamp or seal. Because the line work carries the entire identity, I built strict usage rules around it: no color changes outside the palette, no distorting the proportions, no added shadows or effects. The mark only works if it stays exactly as drawn.
Color and type
Ninth Brew's key color is a warm, burnt orange (#CC5500), a shade reminiscent of coffee beans and the charm of local farms. To balance that warmth, I paired it with a light, creamy white (#F3EFE0), giving the brand the spaciousness of a coffee shop and the freshness of ethically sourced beans. The blend of warm and cool makes the brand feel both inviting and modern.
For type, I paired a bold, rounded display face for headlines with a clean, condensed sans for supporting text, keeping the system legible at small sizes like packaging labels while staying warm and approachable rather than corporate.
Brand guidelines
I put together a full guidelines book covering the logo, color values (hex, RGB, CMYK), typography, and clear do's and don'ts for usage. It's built so Ninth Brew can hand it to a printer, a sign maker, or a future hire and get a consistent result every time, without needing me in the room.
Packaging
For packaging, I tested the mark against texture and warmth, the rust and gold tones of a poured espresso, to confirm the line work held up outside a clean studio background. A single-color mark built on continuous linework turned out to be durable. It doesn't need a busy palette to feel premium, it just needs the line to be right.
The Result
A cohesive brand experience that resonates with customers who appreciate quality, sustainability, and a focus on the essential elements of coffee.
