The Coffee Break design comes out of one of those moments when I want to spend some time to learn new tools. This time I was trying to improve my skills in logo design through Adobe Illustrator. I started from a simple idea. The inspiration came from the traditional coffee breaks that we have during our work-time.
The first idea was to design literally a broken coffee. I start with illustrate a cup of coffee, a spoon and three coffee beans. The only think I coloured was the coffee inside the cup. Then I broke the coffee surface inside the cup in two, to represent the coffee break. From the raw idea I started to elaborate a logo.
First I chose the “Remachine Script” font. The capital letter “C” with this font reminds me the spiral shape that some barman makes when they prepare the “cappuccino” (Italian coffee). The lines have a high contrast and this can recall strength. This first font is combined with the serif font “Whipsmart” that stands in contrast with the previous font because of the low contrast of the lines and the high readability. A third font “Hoefler Text” is used for the date, particularly appealing is the descendants of the numbers. Beside the traditional convention that forbids the use of to many fonts in a composition, in this logo the fonts bind very well.
The first concept is simple. I took the minimal element, the coffee bean, and I replaced the traditional split in the middle of the coffee bean with a stylized crack that represents the coffee break. The logo represents the concept in a very minimal, clear and clean metaphor.
In the second representation I added a stain under the coffee bean. Like if the broken bean released the coffee.
In the last version, I designed something more complex for the logo. The coffee bean is surrounded by a circular band; containing the name of the brand and the date of the beginning of the production. In addition two cups of coffee stand at the middle level on the sides of the band.
Above is presented the result of the three compositions combined together.
Finally I designed a branding for the company, presenting the slogan within three cups of coffee where the key concepts of the Coffee Break! production are illustrated with three figures: a smile meaning happiness, a kiss meaning passion and a heart meaning love.