Bohne und Keramik
Company
Albrecht-Dürer-Berufskolleg
Timeline
2025
Role
Concept & Design Strategy
Status
Completed
Project Overview
Bohne & Keramik is a unique coffee shop concept based in Cologne, combining artisanal, in-house roasted coffee with handcrafted ceramic wares. To support their physical expansion into Bonn and Düsseldorf alongside launching an online store, I developed a comprehensive brand strategy and design concept centered around one guiding vision: "The most personal coffee in town." The brand identity translates warmth, community, and personal touch into a cohesive visual system across logo design, warm color palettes, dynamic typography, custom hand-drawn elements, and packaging mockups.
Challenge
Expanding a highly personalized brand into new markets carries the risk of loosing its intimate, cozy character. The very saturated coffee market dominated by standard hipster, minimalist, or rustic tropes meant Bohne & Keramik needed a distinctive visual language, which sets them apart and also higlights their USP. The true challenge however, was to anchor their USP (the blend of specialty coffee and ceramics) into a structured design system that feels authentic and personal without losing consistency across multiple physical locations and digital platforms.
My learning
Working on this project really highlighted how to balance intimacy with scalability. I learned that a personal touch doesn't have to mean chaotic design. By using scalable system rules like tile grids and digitalized handwriting, Bohne & Keramik stays human without sacrificing consistency. In a saturated market, focusing on a niche creates better recognition. Finally, design needs to be functional for the client: choosing accessible typography like Calibri for everyday body text alongside expressive headlines ensures the team can easily maintain brand integrity on a daily basis!