Scourge coffee was a small-batch coffee startup inspired by and targeted toward fantasy pop-culture fans. Looking to break into the small-batch coffee space, the brief was to design a visual identity package for establishing its presence. My roles here included art direction and graphic design.
The company's founders aimed not just to produce a quality product, but one with a rich, original fantasy lore behind the origins of the coffee itself. Visual branding elements were designed around supporting that vision.
Color and type choices were both inspired by and reactive against trends identified during competitive landscape research; the company aimed to stand out boldly even among other niche-targeted coffee brands.
Each product in the company’s lineup would feature package designs that established characters, history and locations for building the fictional world of SCOURGE COFFEE; adding a collectible value to the product as inspired by comic books, action figures and trading card games.
Leaning into rich, hand-drawn illustrations was a way of supporting the brand's narrative-driven vision while helping distinguish its products on shelves.
Paid social ad mockups helped demo how the brand's visual elements would come together in real-world use cases when building awareness to help drive conversions.
SCOURGE COFFEE, although ultimately withdrawing from a widescale launch, took a bold approach to establishing a brand that offered unique engagement for its customers beyond its core product.
