Introduction The Proposal Research Initial Sketches Looking at the 'Adda' Idea 1 Idea 2 Idea 3 Idea 4 Final Logo

Wall Illustrations Other Illustrations Touchpoints Bibliography Thanks

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The tools have changed. The fundamentals have not. The questions are the same whether youre on Facebook or in Shanghai: Who are you? Who needs to know? How will they find out? Why should they care?

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- Alina Wheeler

When I was around 4, I came home one day from my painting class brandishing an A4 sheet that had three paint strokes of different colours on it. To me, it was the most perfect piece of paper. That paper was taped to my cupboard for the next 12 years. After finishing my 10th grade, when I had to decide what to do next, this paper seemed to have the answer: I wanted to draw. I wanted to paint. I wanted to be creative. I wanted to feel a passionate love for the work I did. I wanted to come home everyday and feel that little spark I had felt when I finished my three-stroke masterpiece. Luckily enough for me, that is exactly what I am doing now.
Graphic design makes me happy. Im not trying to be cute or corny here. It actually makes me feel warm and fuzzy inside! Hah! Good graphic design makes me a happier person; designing makes me feel like a 'person'. Although I do crib and whine sometimes, at the end of the day, I wouldnt want to be stuck doing anything else. I spent the last four years, learning to become a graphic designer, and now Im ready to graduate as one. This book is the documentation of my final diploma project. The project is a little bit of design, a little bit of illustration, a little bit of typography and a whole lot of love. It starts with my proposal and takes you through the process to the final product. Enjoy!

I. THE DESIGN BRIEF The objective of this project is to develop a retail brand identity for a new chain of coffee shop called Bean Good. Bean Good wants to target young people, and provide a casual coffee experience that will make its customers feel good and feel the goodness of a well-made, well-presented coffee. The overarching concept of this project is to bring alive the notion of an adda. Adda in colloquial Hindi is a noun, meaning a gathering place, location or the den of a group of not-quite-conventional people. The current usage of the word has evolved from the original meaning - "perching spot or perch for birds". This idea of an adda as a meeting place of like-minded people was developed to create an identity that stands apart from those of already existing coffee chains. II. RESEARCH QUESTIONS > How to create an identity for Bean Good that makes it stand out from already existing coffee shop chains? > How to create an identity that does not portray a sense of formality but instead comes across as a more friendly, inviting hang out? > Who is the target audience this chain is aiming at? > How do I bring in an element of illustration to create a casual yet fun-feel for Bean Good? > Is it possible to build a unique illustration-centered communication line for Bean Good? III. APPROACH/PROCESS For this project I will need to: > Do market research on coffee shops. > Research on addas - What are they? What is unique to them? What characterizes an adda? > Research on store design and the influence of store design to bring out what the brand stands for. > Explore the areas of branding and brand positioning. > Explore various illustration styles to find the best suited one for my project.
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IV. MATERIALS/RESOURCES > Los Logos -Mika Mischler , Nicholas Bourquin , Robert Klanten > Masters of Design: Logos & Identity: A Collection of the Most Inspiring Logo Designers in the World -Sean Adams > The Little Book of Logo Recipes: Successful Designs and How to Create Them -David E. Carter > Designing Brand Identity: an essential guide for the whole branding team -Alina Wheeler. > Inside the Business of Illustration -Steven Heller, Marshall Arisman > Marketing Illustration -Steven Heller, Marshall Arisman > The Sourcebook of Contemporary Illustration -Yaiza Nicolas, Andres Gonzalez Fernandez, Alessandro Zanchetta > Designing identity, graphic design as a business strategy- Mark English V. EXPECTED LEARNING OUTCOMES > Learn more about brand positioning and brand management. > Bring my two favourite aspects of design- illustration and typography- into the project to create a unique identity for Bean Good. > Learn a bit about space design. > Work on in-store wall graphics. > Figure out how to keep the clients' requirements, while bringing in a sense of my work style also.

THE BEGINNING Where do I begin? What do I need? Since the name of the coffee shop was already decided, I looked at what I needed to pay attention to and keep in mind before I started the project. NAME & LOGO > Make sure the name and logo are easily recognizable. Is the logo easy to read? > Make sure it is easily distinguished from your competitors'. TARGET CUSTOMER? > Who is in the target market? > How old are they? Every message sent out, must be aimed at your target person. COMPETITION? > Bean Good must easily stand out from its competitors. >How will it differentiate itself from the competition? CONSISTENCY. > Repeat, repeat, repeat. > Consistency over time creates trust, which in turn creates sales. ENGAGE THE CUSTOMER.

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It is a flag, a signature, an escutcheon.

WHO IS MY AUDIENCE? Primarily the target audience consists of an age group of 15 to 30 year olds. Bean Good targets those who are looking for a great cup of coffee within a medium budget. We offer its clients the feeling of a neighbourhood adda, a place to sit and have a conversation -those that sometime last for hours. The ambience in Bean Good is aimed at inspiring conversation, to spark off the desire to yarn. Bean Good targets those who want to catch up with their friends over a hot, deliciously-brewed cup of coffee in a space that allows them to relax and feel at ease.

A logo doesnt sell directly, it identifies.

WHAT IS A LOGO? WHAT DOES IT DO?

Paul Rand, Designing Identities.

A logo is rarely a description of a business.

A logo is less important than the product it signifies, what it means is more important than what it looks like.

A logo derives its meaning from the quality of the thing it symbolizes, not the other way around.

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COMPETITIVE AUDIT. A competitive audit is a dynamic, data gathering process. Simply put, this audit examines the competitions brands, key messages and identity in the market place. The greater the insight into the competition, the greater the competitive edge. >Identify competitors >Gather information/ research >Determine positioning >Identify key messages >Examine visual identity

Alina Wheeler, Designing Brand Identity - An essential guide for the whole branding team.

Backed by guidelines from Alina Wheeler's Designing Brand Identity, I decided to begin with research on my competition: Who is my competition? What do they stand for? What are their advantages and disadvantages? How do they position themselves? What is their look and feel? I decided to look at the popular cafs in Bengaluru, whose target audience was almost identical to Bean Good's. I picked the cafs that had more than one or two outlets. This enabled me to look at a retail chain and see what happens to the identity when an element of repetition has to come in. Some of the cafs I looked at were Caf Coffee Day, Barista, Costa Coffee, Cuppa and Caf Pascucci.
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I began with an examination of each of their brand personalities. How have these brands positioned themselves in the Indian market? What are the characteristic features of the cafs, their strengths and weakness? I looked at how Caf Coffee Day has become such a huge brand name and how, as a brand it has taken over a huge stake in the market. Not only did I look at the positive feature, but also the setbacks and mistakes that these brands have faced. For example, Costa Coffee, who want to position themselves at the same level as a Caf Coffee Day, had to revise their prices to suit the Indian market, but they are still perceived as a more expensive brand. I then moved on to look at their mission, tag line, point of sale etc. What do these brands want to portray to the audience? Is that the same thing that I want to portray? So what will make me stand out? What is it that these brands are selling? Good coffee? A place for conversations? An international flavour? From there I went on to look at the details: What are the logos of these brands? What elements go into these logos? What colours do they use? Do these colours stand for anything? How is typography used? There were similarities in these brands, such as the colours used, the icons or imagery etc. Most of these brands used the colour red in their identity. In some cases it stands for leadership and vitality, and others for celebration, energy, power or the idea of a 'hot' coffee. Another similarity was the use of a coffee cup. The cup is a widely used image in a lot of caf logos, thus making it synonymous with a coffee shop. Is this something I want to use in my logo? Will recognizing the logo as that of a caf be easier if the logo had an element of the cup? In case I decide to use the cup in my logo, I have to look at how it will stand apart from the rest. The cafs that I looked at till then were in a sense a more formal space than Bean Good needs to be/wants to be. So I looked at newer cafs such as Mocha, Java City and Boca Grande. How are these space less formal and more relaxed than the others? Factors such as the ambience and prices played a huge role in differentiating them. While designing for Bean Good, I have to keep the ambience in mind. The space plays a huge part in what Bean Good wants to give to its customers.

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These were the first round of sketches I did. The idea behind them was to use the coffee bean as part of the typography of Bean Good. The coffee bean is the starting point of a well-brewed cup of coffee. If the beans are not picked at the right time and conditioned well, the coffee power that is produced will lack in quality and taste. Good beans ensure a good cup of coffee. Keeping this in mind, I decided to integrate the beans in the logo, because that is where it all begins!
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REVIEW MEETING: Review meetings were held 6 times over the span of my project, with my panel: Ann Thomas, Geethanjali Sachdev and Kumkum Nadig. These reviews are meant to check my progress and give me feedback and guidance. After my second review, I was asked to go over my core idea again. The problem with these ideas was that I was going a very safe route. There is nothing new or different about them. If they were put in a retail space along with other caf brands, there wasn't a strong differentiation. I was looking at Bean Good as a caf. I needed to look at it for what the idea behind it is, and for what it offers to its customers that is different from the rest. I needed to be clear about what Bean Good should represent.

Bean Good wants to offer its customers a great coffee experience. One of it's main objectives is to provide its customers a well-brewed cup of coffee. Bean Good wants to focus on the idea of good, hot cups of coffee and the feeling of warmth that comes with it. In these iterations I have tried to explore the idea of bringing in a cup of coffee in the type.
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Realising that my initial ideas were not portraying the concept behind Bean Good. I needed to go back to the beginning and revisit my 'big idea'.

What is the concept behind Bean Good?

To bring alive the idea of an 'adda'

To put emphasis on the goodness of a well brewed cup of coffee

What is an 'adda'? In Hindi, adda is a noun, meaning the location or 'nest' of a group or community, usually 'shady' people. The current usage of the word has evolved from the original meaning "perching spot or perch for birds". In Bengali, an adda is place of ritual meeting and/or conversation of a group of people. The verb form means informal conversation among a group of people, often for hours at an end, and usually accompanied by tea or coffee.

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ATTRIBUTES OF AN ADDA. What makes an adda an adda? What are the characteristics of an adda that distinguish it from other places? To get a better idea of what an adda is and how it is characterised, I visited some popular 'addas' in Bengaluru. I listened to conversations that happened there and observed the space. I also interviewed some frequenters to these places. I asked them what they thought an adda was and why they chose to sit in these spaces as opposed to others. Here are some of the responses I got:

The word adda is "a place" for "carless talk with boon companions."
- Sunitikumar Chattopadhyay, scholar.

casual

hangout -sometimes is area oriented don't need to spend money to have a conversation

won't throw you out

ADDA
conversation point

''It is something very spontaneous. It cannot be 50 people together. That becomes a meeting. So it should be three persons minimum, because if you have two that also is not an adda.''
-Dr. Krishna Bose, a retired English literature professor at the University of Calcutta.

feels like you belong there and you are known there : "like how a dog marks it's territory"

informal sit for hours without ordering much

The Chattering Masses New York Times, May 15, 2005.

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Are there spaces in Bengaluru that have these attributes and are also branded? I looked at popular hangouts in Bengaluru that have the attributes of an adda, but at the same time also have a brand name or identity. Some of the places I went to wereKoshy's, Pecos and India Coffee House.

After looking at my list of main atributes, I looked at what characteristics of these spaces I would like to carry over into the branding of Bean Good. What are the attributes that Bean Good as a brand should portray.

casual

friendly place to inspire conversation

intimate

BEAN GOOD
conversation point

welcoming informal

believes in the goodness of a well made cup of coffee

Is an illustrated route the best way to go about this project? After looking at the main attributes, I decided that an illustrative approach would be the best suited for the branding of Bean Good. >It gives it a personal touch >Less formal, and more casual >In case of expansion in terms of merchandise etc, this can be taken forward easily. >Illustration often inspires stories; illustration can be used effectively in Bean Good to make it a space that sparks off conversation.

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MOOD BOARD

intimate

goodness of coffee

casual

adda

conversations

welcoming

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"

One eye sees. The other feels.

- Paul Klee

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ADDA: A PLACE FOR PEOPLE TO HANG OUT. The first round of ideation I did was based on the idea of an adda being a place where people came, sat and relaxed over a cup of coffee. A place for friends to catch up with each other, or meet after a long day to 'talk about life'. The concept behind this set of ideas was to incorporate people, as illustrations, in the logo.

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Having single people in the logo will not work as it becomes too serious. Adda is a place for friends to hang out. "Loners are not my customers." - Bijitesh Mallik, client.

Although this logo shows more people, it doesn't come together as one combined logo. The identity does not come out strong enough, as the hierarchy within the logo is lost.

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BEAN GOOD: AN INFORMAL, CASUAL SPACE. This idea explores the atmosphere of a casual, fun space where people can meet and relax. Since the coffee cup is a popularly used image in caf logos, I decided to use the coffee stain to show a more relaxed, friendly space.

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Here I've used the coffee stain as a representation of informality. But the stain itself is an image which has been used so often. Do I want to use the stain? If I do, what makes my stain different from the others? How would I make the Bean Good stain stand out in itself?

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ADDA- A PERCH SPOT FOR BIRDS. The concept behind this idea was to use the Hindi meaning of the word adda to create a quirky, fun identity. Often one sees birds sitting on the electric poles, they are seldom alone, they almost look like they meet on the electric wires to catch up on the day's doings. I took this idea forward and illustrated an identity using the ides of 'birds on the wire'.

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The three birds represent the idea of Bean Good being an adda. But where does the concept of coffee come in? The connection between the birds and adda and the coffee shop is not clear at the first glance. A customer will need to make that connection later. Does the idea of a caf get lost completely? Is that OK?

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BEAN GOOD- ILLUSTRATED. The concept of this logo evolved from the idea of having a completely hand illustrated logo for Bean Good. Initially it started off as just an illustrated logo with random motifs on it. Then I changed the motifs to make associations with coffee and the concept of the adda. This was further simplified to make the final iteration.

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This logo was done using a fully-illustrated approach. The idea was to emphasize the goodness of a well-made coffee, while also illustrating other aspects like the concept of the adda as a place for conversations. Although some elements have a connection to the idea behind Bean Good, there are a lot of elements that are present only as decoration.

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This logo is made using more motifs that have associations . The bottom bit of the logo has motifs used to portray conversations. The middle area around the cups has beans and abstract plants to represent the coffee shrub. The top area of the logo has the birds on a wire, taking from the Hindi meaning of adda. But, these motifs still seem disconnected. There is no flow from one motif to another. While some have meaning, others don't. This might cause the viewer to look for meaning in the motifs that do not have any meaning.
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This logo was created keeping in mind that the motifs should have a connection. I tried to use motifs that pertain to the concept of Bean Good. Instead of using a lot of different motifs, I have tried to create patterns with a few chosen motifs.
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Motif of a girl and boy having a conversation. The motif is surrounded by a pattern made of speech bubbles on both sides- showing the abundance of conversation in an adda.

Abstraction of a coffee bush, with the leaves and beans. One of Bean Good's main areas of focus is in providing its customers a great cup of coffee and allowing them to bask in the goodness of it.

The Jungle Babbler is found in the Indian Subcontinent. They are gregarious birds that forage in small groups of four to ten, a habit that has given them the popular name of 'Seven Sisters' or 'Saath Bhai' in Hindi. Characteristics of the Jungle Babbler: >gregarious and very social >always moves in groups. >their presence can be known at some distance due to their continual chattering and chirping. Body characteristics: >distinctive, long tails. >short, rounded wings. >small, roundish bodies. The logo was then further simplified. The darker areas were made lighter and the motifs were simplified. The type was given more emphasis keeping in mind that the name had to be bold and clear and must stand apart from the other illustrations. Yellow was used to highlight the birds, the cup and the type. Yellow is the only colour used here. Yellow represents happiness and the warmth and goodness felt when one drinks a great cup of coffee after a long, tiresome day or has a great cup of coffee with a bunch of friends over a conversation or two.
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"

When in doubt, just remove. But be careful of what you remove.

- John Maeda, Laws of Simplicity.

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After revisiting my previous logo, I realised that it had some inherent problems that I must resolve before moving any further. The logo would not be scalable to smaller sizes. How would I manage this problem? Would merely removing the intricate illustration while reducing in size, do the job? Kumkum asked me to see if it was possible for me to tackle this issue without having to remove anything from the logo. Removing elements completely from the logo might make it look like a different logo altogether. Maybe try replacing intricate images with something else? A shape? My initial idea of the store signage was to have the store signage as the logo fit into a 4 feet space. I had to re-look at whether the illustrations would be too overwhelming at that size. Do I want to reduce the illustrations and only use a few motifs instead of so many? Do I want to re-arrange my basic structure to see if there was a cleaner way of using fewer motifs and still keeping the essence of the idea? Thus was born my new logo.

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Emphasis on the steam and taking that element forward. Steam signifying the goodness of a hot cup of coffee. The aroma of a nice, steaming cup of coffee after a long day. Motif of people having a conversation. Filled in with black to emphasize the idea of an adda being a place for people to have conversations. In Bengali, the verb form of adda means informal conversation among a group of people, often for hours at an end. Other motifs used are coffee shrubs, the leaves and the beans. The main focus of Bean Good is to offer its costumers a good, soulful coffee experience. To offer them the atmosphere of a neighbourhood adda, with local, beautifully-brewed coffee that is a guaranteed feel-good.

Typeface used- Silom. Use of a more structured and bold type to make it stand out. At the same type the type also has gentle curves to go with the illustrative style. Type has a flat top and bottom, similar to the motif of people talking in the swirl.

Tag line: Bean good lately? Using the word play of asking someone if they have "been good" and also if the have "been to Bean Good." Type: Frutiger (55 roman) Compliments the other element while standing out by itself.
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Signage

Inverted logo

Signage Dimensions Smallest size boxed logo 1x1.5 inches Tag line font size: 7 pt

4X4 inches Smallest size 1x1 inches

*Please refer to brand manual for more details.

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*Please refer to brand manual for more details.

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The illustrations done for the wall follow the two-colour scheme. These illustration are inspired by graffiti art. I tried to make these illustrations look like graffiti , street art while adding a little Bengaluru to it. "One-and-a-Half, Boss"- This illustration is inspired by the auto drivers in Bengaluru. They have a rule of charging one and a half after 9 P.M. Most of us living here or even visiting have been asked to pay the extra amount at least once, and in most cases much too often. After a long argument that proves to be futile, you agree to pay one-and-a-half. On getting to your destination the auto driver gives you a cheeky smile and says "change illa"- no change!! "Tik-tik-tik-tik-tik-tik-tik-tik... If you come today, you are too early, if you come tomorrow you are too late" - This illustration was inspired by the famous Rajkumar song. I thought this song illustrated the idea of an adda being a place where there is no time restriction, a place where endless conversations can happen. I was also inspired by the idea of how one says "I'll be at the adda in 5" and turns up half an hour later, but no one seems to care. I thought this song went well with the casual tone of the space. "Silicon-Garden City"- This was inspired by the city itself. At one point Bengaluru was called the 'Garden City'. Years later that changed to 'Silicon City'. Now the city is stuck in between. The city loves its IT growth, but at the same time it is also a city that is proud of its 'Garden City' title and wants to preserve and rejuvenate it. On the one hand, we want our flyovers to help manage all the traffic, and on the other hand we don't want our trees cut, instead we want to grow more. So now the city needs to find place for its flyovers as well as its trees.

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These are smaller illustration inspired by the lingo that is often used in an adda. These words are a mixture of Kannada and English. These illustrations are used for the coaster, keeping in mind that while waiting to be served, people could look at these illustrations and they could also possibly spark off conversation. These illustrations can also be carried on into the merchandising line- T-shirts, badges, key chains etc.

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STATIONERY The stationery is kept very simple, with only the logo and the colour yellow used as stokes or shapes (sqaure and rectangle).

Letterhead and envelope

Visiting cards

Front

Back

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MENU

PACKAGING

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OTHER BRANDING AND ILLUSTRATIONS Cushion Covers (in store)

Toilet Signs

Cushion Covers (merchandise)

Front

Back
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T-shirts

Mug

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Books: > Designing Brand Identity: an essential guide for the whole branding team -Alina Wheeler. > Inside the Business of Illustration -Steven Heller, Marshall Arisman > Marketing Illustration -Steven Heller, Marshall Arisman > The Sourcebook of Contemporary Illustration -Yaiza Nicolas, Andres Gonzalez Fernandez, Alessandro Zanchetta > Designing identity, graphic design as a business strategy- Mark English > The Little Book of Logo Recipes: Successful Designs and How to Create Them -David E. Carter Websites: >Logoddesign love.com >Samosapedia.com >Dieline.com

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THANKS

I'd like to thank my panel members for all the guidance and feedback. Mrs. Geetha Narayanan and all the faculty members at Srishti who have taught me over the yearsRamesh, Raghu, Ravi, Geethu, Mani, Matt, Meera, Aarti and Roy, Kumkum, Manasee, Kruti and all the others... Also, Muralianna for all the times he has found the things that I have lost and for all those cups of tea and coffee in Foundation that helped me through the day. And all the other people at Srishti who were a part of my four years there. Thanks to my awesome family for all their support, and for sponsoring my madness. I'd like to thank Bijitesh Mallik, for providing me with the opportunity to do this Diploma Project. I'd also like to thank my housemates for putting up with all my stressed-out craziness and hyperventilation. And everyone else for dealing with my anxiety attacks and not disowning me: Tambay, Naynu, Diya, Roosha, Divya, Pooja,Mimansa, Nirup, Anurag, Abhinav, Chauhan and all the other peeps... I'd also like to thank Anitha aunty, who gave me my first paintbrush and paper, without who I'd probably be breaking my head over some medical mumbo-jumbo. Much love.

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