Groundwork Coffee
Designer | Ludlow Kingsley
Location | Los Angeles, CA, USA
Launch date | September 15, 2021
As the first organic coffee shop in Los Angeles, we wanted our refreshed branding to convey our unwavering commitment to our community and eco-friendly practices. Our distinct logo was hand drawn, representing our small-batch approach and down-to-earth attitude. Through the rebranding journey, we continually returned to the image of “dirt under fingernails” after a long day of tending the earth. The graphical hand with a flower sprouting from the soil represents this intersection of humans and the environment, communicating our stewardship and the nurturing, relationship-focused way of making coffee.
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The word “organic” is immediately noticeable even from a distance, purposefully positioned within every product name. Our color palette evokes Southern California’s landscapes with golden chaparral, olive-hued coastal oaks, and the faded blues of shorelines and skies. Though we’ve grown, our business is inextricable from our community and Los Angeles beginnings—and we want our branding to tell this story of passion and hard work, inspiring others to pursue their dreams, too. With that in mind, we paid special attention to Los Angeles’ dynamic history and the aspirational people who have made the city what it is today. We wanted our design to resonate with the artists, teachers, surfers, skaters, farmers, builders, community activists, and others who reliably return to Groundwork for a delicious cup of coffee.
With a timeless aesthetic rooted in historical advocacy graphic styles, we leveraged bold,attention-grabbing cutouts that play with shapes, sizes and proportions. The graphics are paired with muted, earth-forward colors, walking the line between subtle and making a statement.
We collaborated closely with the Los Angeles-based branding agency Ludlow Kingsley to ensure our story was communicated in the most effective way possible. These core brand elements are reflective of our ethos and goals.
