Industry: Coffee Brand
Role: Art Direction
Ground Up Coffee Co. is more than a coffee brand. It's a business built around opportunity, second chances, and the belief that meaningful work can help people move forward. Created as a work program for individuals in recovery, Ground Up provides an opportunity to build skills, gain confidence, and create a path toward a brighter future.
🧠 The Challenge
The challenge was to develop a visual identity that conveyed this mission without resorting to the predictable aesthetics of nonprofit organizations or recovery programs. Ground Up needed to look and feel like a legitimate, exciting consumer coffee brand—one that could compete on retail shelves, connect with customers, and build a loyal following.
The goal was simple: create a brand people love for its coffee, personality, and purpose.
The Logo: A Little Retro, A Lot of Personality
The Ground Up logo uses custom-styled typography to reinforce the brand's name and underlying message.
The expressive, rounded letterforms reference the playful visual language of 1970s pop culture, while the upward movement incorporated into the lettering symbolizes growth, progress, and possibility.
A rich burgundy and vibrant orange palette gives the identity warmth and energy, while cream, olive, and chartreuse accents add a distinctly vintage character.
I also developed multiple logo variations, including a compact circular badge and a simplified monogram, allowing the brand to maintain a recognizable presence across coffee packaging, merchandise, social media, and promotional materials.
Meet the Mascot: Coffee with Character
One of the most distinctive elements of the Ground Up identity is its original illustrated coffee cup mascot.
Inspired by vintage rubber-hose animation and mid-century advertising characters, the mascot brings the brand to life through exaggerated expressions, oversized shoes, playful gestures, and plenty of personality.
I developed the character as a flexible visual storytelling tool rather than a single static illustration. Whether it's running, skateboarding, flashing a peace sign, or delivering an enthusiastic coffee-inspired message, the character creates opportunities for ongoing brand engagement.
The illustration system incorporates expressive movement, bold outlines, halftone textures, and dynamic coffee splashes, reinforcing the brand's retro personality.
With phrases like "Rise and grind. It's coffee time!" and "Death Before Decaf," the illustrations balance humor and attitude while giving Ground Up a distinctive voice.
The mascot also provides a recognizable foundation for future merchandise, stickers, apparel, social campaigns, and promotional graphics.
Packaging and Brand Applications
The identity was designed to work across both physical and digital touchpoints.
For the coffee packaging, I explored a warm kraft-paper aesthetic that allows the colorful logo and illustrated mascot to take center stage. The combination of natural materials, retro graphics, and strong visual hierarchy creates an approachable, recognizable product presentation.
The system extends into branded mugs, business cards, graphic patterns, and promotional merchandise.
A custom repeating pattern inspired by the logo's flowing shapes adds another layer of personality and provides a flexible background element for packaging, printed collateral, and digital applications.
Together, these components create a brand system that is consistent without feeling repetitive—one that can grow alongside the business.
The Result
Ground Up Coffee Co. now has a distinctive visual identity built around personality, optimism, and versatility.
The completed creative direction includes a flexible logo system, a custom-illustrated mascot, a retro-inspired color palette, branded patterns, and packaging concepts that establish a recognizable foundation for future growth.
More importantly, the identity positions Ground Up as a coffee company first and foremost, with a compelling product, a memorable personality, and a meaningful mission behind every bag.
Ground Up isn't just about making great coffee. It's about creating opportunities, building momentum, and helping people rise.
And that's a story worth brewing.
