“Wonderful humans, and very good at what they do. Let them help you make your business better.”
"They were innovative in their approach and really got us thinking about who we are at the core.”
"What a thoughtful and joyful experience. I want to start a new business and do it again."
You?
We are a coffee branding agency for roasters and cafes ready to stand out on the shelf.
Focusing on category design, we help brands find clarity, position for growth and prepare for remarkable change.
Coffee Brand Audit & Strategy
We map the roasters and cafes you compete with, read how regulars, wholesale accounts and first-timers see you, and find the idea you can own. For Commonfolk, our neighbours in Mornington, that idea became a category of its own. For Bermuda in Berwick it was a purpose, forming genuine connections through coffee, and four values that now run from the labels to the loyalty card.
- Competitor and category mapping
- Positioning and brand narrative
- Purpose, values and personality
- Naming for a roastery, a blend or a second cafe
What does the brand audit cover?
How regulars and wholesale accounts see you against your competitors, how the brand reads from the search result to the bag, and what your team says you stand for. Two weeks, one working session, and a clear call: leave it, refresh it or rebuild it.
Identity, Illustration & Voice
A system your roastery runs without us: logo, type, colour, voice and illustration, drawn for the bag, the cup and the chalkboard before the screen. Commonfolk’s hand-drawn coffee bean characters and Bermuda’s drip and mountain marks are in daily use, on everything from the takeaway cup to the Get Lost in Coffee campaign.
- Logo, typography and colour
- Illustration and character design
- Voice, tone and messaging
- Guidelines and templates
Why does a roaster need a brand strategy?
Because the next blend, the next cafe and the wholesale pitch are easier to decide when the idea behind the roastery is written down.
Packaging, Labels & Cafe Signage
Coffee is bought by the bag, so the bag does the selling. We design the bags, labels and cups, the loyalty cards and the cafe signage as one system with print-ready files. Bermuda’s fifteen coffee labels, cups and Come In and Share a Brew footpath sign, and Commonfolk’s Order Here signage and posters, were all designed with the brand. More on packaging design.
- Coffee bags, labels and cups
- Loyalty cards, menus and print
- Cafe signage, A-frames and window decals
- Merchandise: totes, caps and tees
Can you design our bags and labels?
Yes, with the brand, so the printer gets files that already fit. Sizes, finishes and dielines are specified for your packaging supplier.
Shopify, Wholesale & Social
Roasters sell three ways: over the counter, online and wholesale, and the brand has to work in all three. We build the Shopify store with product pages designed alongside the bags, a wholesale page that makes the first call easy, and the social templates that make the feed look like the roastery. Commonfolk sells on Shopify, with product pages, a mobile menu and a Barista Basics series on social. We are a Shopify Partner and a Webflow Premium Partner.
- Shopify stores for beans, subscriptions and merch
- Wholesale pages and trade enquiries
- Social templates and photography direction
- Local SEO and Google Ads for the cafes
Do you build the website too?
Yes. The team that sets the strategy builds the site, so nothing is lost in a handover.
A clear process for a coffee brand that grows the roastery.
Audit & Diagnose
How you compare, how you are seen, and the honest call: leave, refresh or rebuild.
Position & Strategise
The idea you own and the story that holds it, agreed with the owners before any design.
Design the System
Identity, illustration, voice and templates, tested on a bag and a cup.
Build & Roll Out
Packaging, signage, store, wholesale, social. Staff meet the brand before customers do.
Steward
We stay on for the next blend, the second cafe and the next run of bags.
Starting prices, + GST, scoped to the roastery and what the brand has to cover.
- Brand Audit (two weeks): competitor map, perception read, positioning options, a recommendation with a price for each path. The audit fee comes off the strategy fee if you go on.
- Brand Strategy (from AUD 5,000 + GST): positioning, purpose, audience mapping and brand narrative.
- Brand Identity Design (from AUD 10,000 + GST): the visual and verbal system on a strategic foundation, with guidelines.
- Full Brand: strategy and identity end to end, for a business repositioning for growth or a group bringing several names under one.
Packaging, signage and the store are scoped from the start. Get in touch to find out where yours lands.
It helps you answer three questions and apply the answers everywhere.
- Who are we? The idea the business stands for.
- What makes us different? The position that separates you from the roasters and cafes your customers compare you with.
- How do we say it? The identity and system that carry it, from the bag on the shelf to the cup in their hand.
In practice: brand strategy, identity, packaging, cafe signage, a Shopify store and the social templates. Here is how our brand strategy works.
Yes. We find what accounts and regulars already value and build the new system to carry it. The bag should be recognised on the shelf on day one.
Most full projects run 8 to 16 weeks from kick-off to final delivery.
- Weeks 1–3, Discovery and Research: stakeholder interviews and workshops, market and competitor analysis, audience research.
- Weeks 4–6, Strategy: positioning and differentiation, messaging framework and brand platform.
- Weeks 7–10, Identity Design: logo and visual identity, design system, application across touchpoints.
- Weeks 11–14, Refinement and Guidelines: refinement, brand guidelines and toolkit, templates.
- Weeks 15–16, Handover and Support: final delivery, team training and launch planning.
Packaging follows your printer’s and packaging supplier’s dates. Give us the launch or opening date and we plan backwards from it.
It depends on your goals and the state of the brand. You likely need a full rebrand if:
- your positioning no longer reflects who you are or where you are going
- you have outgrown your original market or changed what you sell
- the brand creates confusion or fails to differentiate
- the visual identity looks dated next to the businesses you compete with
- the people who run the business struggle to explain what makes it different
You likely need a brand refresh if:
- the core positioning is strong but the visuals look tired
- you are evolving, not changing direction
- the guidelines lack consistency or do not scale
- the messaging needs tightening, not rethinking
Not sure? That is what the audit is for. It tells you which of these you are, and what each path would cost.
Yes. Our studio is in Mornington and we work across Melbourne and nationally, in person or online. Our studio is next door to Commonfolk.
"Wonderful humans, and very good at what they do. Let them help you make your business better."
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