Growing a Brand From the Ground Up A visual identity created for The Garden Coffee & Flowers, a mobile coffee and floral experience built around community, connection, and faith. Working alongside the founders, I developed a brand identity that brought the heart behind the concept to life — creating something that felt warm, intentional, and distinct from a traditional coffee brand. My Role Brand & Visual Identity Designer — Elise Design Studio** I partnered directly with the founders of The Garden to translate their vision into a visual identity that could grow alongside the business. From the initial creative direction through the development of the visual system, I explored how the brand could communicate the intersection of coffee, flowers, hospitality, and faith in a way that felt cohesive and memorable. Through collaboration, visual exploration, and iterative design, I created an identity that gave The Garden a recognizable presence across its physical and digital touchpoints. ## The Process ### Understanding the Brand Before designing anything, I focused on understanding the heart behind The Garden — not just what they were offering, but why they were creating it. The concept was rooted in a desire to create a mobile space where people could slow down, connect, and feel welcomed. Coffee and flowers became the tangible expression of that idea, while faith and community remained at the center of the brand. Through conversations with the founders, I explored: * The story and purpose behind "The Garden" * The relationship between coffee, flowers, hospitality, and community * The feeling they wanted people to experience when interacting with the brand * How faith could be thoughtfully represented without overwhelming the visual identity * How the brand could feel approachable while still being polished and intentional These conversations became the foundation for a visual identity designed to feel **warm, organic, welcoming, and full of life.** Building the Identity With the brand foundation established, I developed a visual direction inspired by the idea of growth — bringing together botanical elements, organic forms, and thoughtful typography to create a system that felt both grounded and distinctive. The identity focused on: * A primary logo and supporting marks * Botanical-inspired graphic elements * A typography system that balances character with readability * A natural, welcoming color palette * Illustrative details inspired by flowers and growth * A flexible visual system that could translate across the coffee cart, packaging, menus, social media, and other brand touchpoints The goal wasn't to create another coffee brand. It was to create something that felt like **The Garden** — a place where coffee, flowers, faith, and community could naturally exist together. Bringing the Brand to Life Once the core identity was established, I explored how the system could extend beyond the logo and become a recognizable experience. Every detail was designed to work together — from the marks and typography to the botanical illustrations and supporting graphics. The visual system was created to give The Garden flexibility as the business grows, allowing the identity to live across physical experiences, event materials, social content, packaging, and the mobile coffee cart itself. Rather than treating the logo as the brand, I built a system that gives The Garden a consistent visual language wherever people encounter it. Final Outcome The result was a complete visual identity that gave The Garden Coffee & Flowers a foundation to grow from. The brand brings together the warmth of hospitality, the beauty of flowers, and the everyday ritual of coffee while leaving room for the deeper purpose behind the business to come through. By translating the founders' vision into a cohesive visual system, I helped establish a brand that feels recognizable, intentional, and true to the experience they want to create — one where people can **come as they are and leave refreshed.** Client: The Garden Coffee & Flowers Deliverables: Brand Strategy, Logo Design, Visual Identity System, Art Direction, Graphic Elements Year: 2026 Role: Brand & Visual Identity Designer