It’s not a secret that we always work closely with our clients, from design to delivery, in an effort to create the kind of brand-magic which really elevates brands above the ordinary. At Art and Ink our goal is always this special kind of brand-alchemy, which is not always easy to do, but remains the primary goal of all our undertakings in the Art and Ink branding studio. After our most recent collaboration with epic Texan coffee company High Brew, we thought we would show you some of the behind-the-scenes design production we did for them and what this to-and-fro collaboration looks like. So without further ado, take a sneak peek behind the design and review notes for the High Brew Coffee branding project.

When High Brew Coffee approached us to create designs for their branded merchandising, we took our design-cue from their existing range of apparel. They also expressed a strong need to create the kind of products their influencers’ would want to wear and showcase on social media. Our goal became about the creation of a line of salable basics with a strong emphasis on detail and branding opportunity, on some deadly cool items, which would play as well in an influencers’ feed as they would create waves on the street.

High Brew Coffee Branding
Details! Details! Details! All aspects of our garments are considered in the design and review process, from the elevation and embossing of a logo on a key-fob to the layout of a printed neck- label on a printed T-shirt.

Missing from the High Brew apparel repertoire was a decent Dad Hat and Camo-pattern Cap, which would bring this great brand up to speed and on-trend. We included these as well as a Yupoong five-panel cap, compete with nestled, braided rope and semi structured visor. Not content with the existing ensemble, we ramped their branding up a notch by offering a line of contrasting custom woven labels and patches. This is one aspect of our merchandising and design we are especially proud of and, designing and placing woven labels and patches, is something we’ve become experts at. With this simple, yet effective solution, we transformed an otherwise stock basic fashion item into a unique piece of private label apparel.

High Brew Coffee Cap - Behind the scenes
This is the A&I difference, taking a 5-panel cap and specifying an audience-specific braided trim finish, with contrasting woven patch. The subtle touch on the rear snap-back is the brand’s home state of Texas

Our design review meeting with High Brew turned into an incredible brainstorming session about a host of product ideas. One concept which emerged from this was how a portion of their customer base would love a custom cycling uniform. We just so happen to work closely with a leading global manufacturer of cycle gear based in Italy. These guys create the incendiary team kits for the spoke-meisters in the pro peloton—the consistent pro leaders of the stages of the Tour de France. We loaded this high-end, yet surprisingly affordable bike gear with clever detailing derived from the High Brew brand, adding subtle but relevant branding detail across the entire outfit.

High Brew Coffee Branding
The High Brew Coffee Branding is about attention to detail and incorporating primary and secondary aspects of the brand identity into each and every piece of apparel we create for them.

Not content with locking in one customer group we created merchandising products for two more, and we’re particularly proud of the completely customized High Brew Journal as well as the High Brew Coffee backpack, a commuters’ dream bag.

Tough decisions! Where to place the logo for the perfect finish?

With a broad range of merchandise like High Brews’ the products tend to be diverse to address the needs of different parts of their audience. The coup for us is to create unique interest in each of these items through the Art and Ink insistence on quality and excellent design, enticing customers to invest in multiple items from the range, and to fully commit to their pride in a pride-worthy brand like High Brew. By helping High Brew branding to stay on-trend and quality-focused we can offer their customers a range of opportunities to connect with the brand and showcase their pride in their choice of High Brew Coffee. A great choice by any standards.

The details are everything on these epic cycle pieces, from the obvious brand placement,front and center on the caps to the less obvious call-outs the the Austin and Texas pride of this great domestic coffee brand. Art and Ink specializes in finding the details and pursuing the less obvious branding moments to really bring a brand-story together.