The rebrand of The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf took over two years and still there’s more to complete. From sugar packets to the exterior store facade and everything in-between. Coffee Bags, Tea Tins, Signage, Corporate Stationary, Cups, Napkins, Uniforms, Sales Sheets, Mobile App, Website, and Style Guides… every department was affected. Every department had needs.

Breakfast Packaging for Taco Bell.

Taco Bell launched breakfast nationally for the first time, entering a market already positioned firmly with McDonalds and other QSR’s. A unique breakfast menu wasn’t going to be enough to make an impression, the Marketing team wanted breakthrough packaging that required more than just cool design, they wanted it to create social noise.

With that imposing obstacle we came to the realization that we had to design for the core demographic; those that were passionate, cultural followers of the Taco Bell brand.

WORD JUMBLE:

Each package, of the 21 variations, contains a different word.  When the varying packages are placed next to each other it creates a unique word jumble. This sparked those sharable social moments. The design had cut through the clutter; it was loud, bold and photogenic from a 3” frame.

It was a proven success the day of the launch. People shared their first moments with images on Instagram, Tumbler, and Facebook–bragging of their breakfast experience at Taco Bell, with pictures of packaging and the P.O.P. to tell their stories.

The launch of the Rose Hazelnut flavor had its challenges with a very polarizing flavor profile. The drink is exquisite - so beautiful in scent, to taste and to the eye. We elevated it with a harmonious color palette, graphic shapes and pillars. A very distinct look and feel to this campaign which found its way from the in-store POP to all digital outlets.

It became very buzz worthy and visually the drink created more trial than previous Winter seasonal launches.

Trial of drink ranged from 2-4% increase per store. SOP was readjusted after initial launch lowering the amount of rose flavoring which saw an increase in return of product sales.

Photography: Matt Armendariz

Data concur that consumers are drawn to video, animation, Giff’s. To support their thirst, each season we craft and create more to suffice their ravenous cravings.

Sometimes pictures just aren’t enough.

The Nabi line of products

We wanted to tap into the mindset and the adventurous side of a kid. The Nabi tablet allowed children to explore the world. Not taking them from reality but allowing them to be immersed in it. It’s a practical, day- to-day tool, designed and built for a kid.

The Coffee Bean hook book

This is a B2B brochure designed to give new franchisee’s a perspective of what The Coffee Bean is all about. A short peek at the history, the locations, and the culture of the company.

It worked? Grabbed your attention. Businesses are struggling, restaurant and hospitality most of all.

To attract new talent we remind one how cool it is to have the title of “Barista” I mean who doesn’t want to have that answer when meeting someone new, “What do you do?”

PROBLEM: Declining sales of Premium coffee.

SOLUTION: We started off by renaming “Premium” to a more current vernacular “Reserve” and focused on the unique origins known for harvesting the best coffee beans in the world.

We created all new labels to distinguish them from the core line of coffee by printing on embossed paper in unique shapes with perforated edges. Hand applied band at the top of each bag elevated the shelf presence.

We followed up with a stronger, cohesive digital presence in all social channels.

Sales of Reserve Coffee rose 8% hitting benchmarks for all stores.

Taco Bell has a program called Feed the Beat which assists up and coming bands with free food and social awareness on their website.

Tapping into the musical aspect without settling on a specific musical genre we turned the traditional Taco 12 Pack into an early 1980's Boom Box. To achieve the right vibe we hired a high-realism illustrator to complete the challenge.

That idea spawned another musical piece of hardware, the wood cassette crate, held by all music aficionados of theme. We located cassettes on eBay and then hand-lettered actual “Feed the Beat” bands on the covers of them. We also hand lettered the exterior crate, which was another personalization people once did.

A perfect pairing and celebration of music, timeless and practical.

They say you first taste with your eyes. It’s a challenge for us in the QSR business - you have to say a lot at 40 MPH and 6 feet away. That’s the average speed driving by a restaurant and the average distance from a take-out menu. And whether it’s a 99 cent taco or a 7 dollar latte only the best should be delivered.