Style Guide can be viewed through my LinkedIn profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshua-knight-3a58ba1ba/
This project was a component of my Graphic Design course (DSDN151) completed at Victoria University of Wellington. It acted as a foundation for my understanding of both design and Adobe programs.
Throttlebug is a fictional, classy, walk-in/ride-in cafe that boasts a vintage ‘jazz club’ look. It is a new business that will benefit from the low number of existing retro cafes, catering to both motorcycle enthusiasts and coffee lovers alike. Throttlebug will serve high-end coffee, as well as locally-sourced pastries and snacks for both the road and for dining in. This cafe will be a warm and welcoming meeting spot for people who want a break from their ride, enthusiasts that come in to ogle at the display bikes, and for people that simply want a quiet cup of coffee while listening to the vast collection of jazz records on-hand.
Wellington is a city of incredibly high-density eateries and cafes, making it extremely difficult for new businesses to stay in business. As of 2019, the turnover rate for new businesses was between 16 and 20 percent, indicating the struggle to maintain an establishment in such an oversaturated market.
Coffee shops closer to the CBD tend to be takeaway oriented, with their main customer type being that of a hurried office worker needing a caffeine hit on their lunch break. Cafes are everywhere, and yet there are not many that fit the bill of a retro, motorcycles and jazz type of shop.
One of the main intentions will be to offer a place where people can come together and enjoy peaceful ambience rather than louder, cramped locales like those in central Wellington. It will allow for enthusiasts to indulge in vintage bike magazines, scale model kits, display parts and motorcycles, as well as bikes that other customers ride in on.
My vision of combining vinyl and motorcycles in one establishment will likely be unique enough to evade the state of our saturated market. Alongside this, the branding will combine an artsy character design with its existing sophisticated, minimalistic brand identity.
Throttlebug intends to present a welcoming environment for its customers. The branding will be visible in-store, on social media and on the official website. Relevant character designs will also help with brand identity, and to connect with a wider range of people also. As quality is incredibly important to this company, throttlebug will operate solely in one location in the Wellington region.
Classy, retro cafe with premium coffee and local pastries. Sipriana cafe in Wellington cemented our vision. They have combined motorcycles with coffee but the location and atmosphere is where we will take the idea further. Our brand tone will be playful but elegant, blending the use of a mascot with stylised retro accents and font choice. throttlebug aims to present itself as a clean, sophisticated retreat for those who value the products of local businesses and high-end coffee.
As yet another cafe in the Wellington region, it will be vital for the branding and design to make throttlebug stand out from the rest. Given the vintage style, the design will need to balance modern-day design and classic retro elements without being distastefully fancy. Character designs will need to be fitting for the brand while also being playful enough to feel inviting. Any takeaway packaging will be fully environmentally friendly, and promotional material will share the importance of environmentally-friendly practices to the business.
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