Pigeon Coffee Co

The brief

This one was given by my two year old daughter on a Tuesday morning. She said pigeon. She said coffee shop. She mumbled a lot. She pointed at blue. Then she went back to her snacks.

Obviously, I took the brief very seriously.

The thinking

If a two year old can brief a great brand, the idea was always there. It just needed someone to tease it out into a brand identity. The pigeon is an iconic homing bird and historic messenger of letters of love and life. An unsung hero you might say? So a pigeon coffee shop…the unsung, settled in hero of your neighbourhood. A place to drink caffeine and talk about love and life.

The name provided an immediate logo mark. The hands came next -inviting ourselves into the brand story.The illustration feels like it was drawn on a Saturday morning, doodled on a soggy paper napkin, rather than designed in a studio.

The typography followed the same brand story. Mixed case, slightly wobbly and the kind of lettering that feels written rather than set. "COFFE CO." without the second E- a hint to my client's story, as she can't (yet) spell.

The world

The brand was built to live everywhere, just like our humble pigeon. Cups, bags, signage, A-boards, shopfronts. Photography to match - coffee spilled on the pavement and a cup tucked into a back pocket. Art direction that feels candid rather than composed- like you just stumbled on the best coffee of your life.

The outcome

I posted this one as a self-initiated concept and it hit 4 million views with comments from brand directors, designers, and coffee shop owners around the world. Several enquiries asking if Pigeon was real.

Sadly, it is not real. But it probably should be.

The client has since moved on to other projects. Mostly involving cats??