Brand identity, website and packaging for coffee shop in Clerkenwell.

KOA is a speciality coffee bar in Exmouth Market, EC1 set up by a brother and sister who grew up in Auckland and Melbourne, where no fuss, quality coffee is the norm. They wanted stand out branding that reflected their 'no palava' approach.

Speciality coffee shops can, at times, be a little intimidating with confusing menus and industrial layouts - a place for coffee 'experts'. The owners knew that for lots of people it felt safer to go to Starbucks. They wanted their space to be welcoming with crystal clear point of sale so that anyone could walk off the street and seamlessly leave with a precision-made, speciality cup of coffee without having to ask any questions.

I kept the branding simple monochrome - a large menu with clear graphics to explain exactly what each coffee was. I wanted to make the most of the small space so commissioned a bespoke artwork from illustrator Agata Wierzbicka. I created a repeat and printed it as huge scale wallpaper, off-set perfectly with simple monochrome stripes which we had tiled into the floor. The wallpaper includes a nod to the owner's Kiwi roots featuring red flowers from the native New Zealand Puhutakawa tree.

In 2020, with the shop closed KOA launched their online coffee subscription service and barista-curated boxes. I designed new mail order packaging and rebuilt the website using Shopify for a complete e-commerce offering.

KOA coffee, 41 Rosebery Avenue, London EC1 4SH

www.koacoffeetogo.co.uk