Outer Sunset Coffee Roasters
San Francisco’s Outer Sunset neighborhood feels worlds away from the city's usual buzz. Quiet streets, ocean views, and a laid-back coastal attitude define the neighborhood. But beneath that calm is the same creative energy that fuels the rest of the city. With Outer Sunset Coffee Roasters, I set out to design an identity that celebrates both: the drive to create and the space to slow down.
The logo combines an O and an S with a horizon line running through the middle creating a rising and setting sun. This helps to illustrate the two ideas at the core of Outer Sunset’s mission. The sun motif will show up throughout the visual system.
My approach to the visual system consists of 3 parts:
Using simple geometric forms such as circles, stripes, and rectangles helps to establish a feeling of calm and order, especially when composed symmetrically. These simple elements can be used in ways to allude to the physical landscape or used as color blocks to hold information within the layouts.
A vibrant color palette helps to inject energy into the system. The cool hues conjure up the optimistic feelings of a clear morning while the warm hues reflect the meditative atmosphere of a late evening.
Photography that highlights the landscape of the Outer Sunset and surrounding areas can help to enhance the message set by the copy. Since the landscape itself can change from sunny to foggy, warm to bitterly cold and windy within minutes, this allows for a wide array of options to express different emotions while retaining a consistent look.
The use of Eurostile in the wordmark and for headings helps give Outer Sunset a clear and structured voice. It’s industrial charm and use in 1960’s futurism helps root it in a history of optimism and creativity.
Greed plays a supporting role and gives the brand a softer voice. While elegant, it’s also clear and doesn’t attract more attention than it needs to.
