Bob’s Java Hut

My Role: Packaging Designer, Experiential Designer

Timeline: 6 Weeks (February-March 2024)

Tools: Illustrator, Photoshop, InDesign, Midjourney (imagery used for mockups)

Problem to Solve
Bob’s Java Hut is in need of packaging for 2 Ready to Drink (RTD) coffee beverages. Additionally, they need a business-to-business trade show booth to introduce the novelty of their brand. A pop-up event is also necessary for their customers to experience the brand “in the wild” and form a strong connection to it.

Overview
Bob’s Java Hut began as a coffee shop for motorcyclists who felt like outcasts at conventional coffee shops. This is a brand not afraid to be different, and I decided to keep that same spirit going when designing two RTD (Ready to Drink) coffee beverages, a unique customer experience, and a tradeshow booth that presents the aesthetic, vision, and ethos of the brand.

Moodboard

Brand Kit

Visual Assets

Colors

Research

The primary focus of our research centered around analyzing competitors and conducting a visual audit of other RTD coffee beverages. A key observation was the effective use of 'banding' on store shelves. Recognizing this, we identified an opportunity to differentiate ourselves with our use of color blocking to create a mini-billboard within retail spaces when lining them all up on a shelf.

Our target demographic comprises the greater Minneapolis area, particularly the Uptown area, where Bob's Java Hut is situated. The average age of residents in this area ranges from 21 to 36 years old, reflecting a youthful population, with many recent college graduates and young adults purchasing their first homes. Additionally, a significant portion of residents consists of long-term Gen-Xers who have established roots in the neighborhood over time.

Can Drawings

Final Can Layouts

Insight

The brand was built around motorcycles and gas stations, so making the RTDs rectangular like oil cans became a subtle nod to that theme. Even if it’s a little less practical for everyday life, it stays true to the theme of the brand and it’s also my favorite idea that sprang from this project.

Final Pop-Up Event

The idea for my pop-up event came from expanding the idea of coffee as fuel. I wanted to make a service station that could travel from lake to lake in the Twin Cities. We would have one or two service attendants who would either ‘pump’ cups of coffee or take home growlers styles like gas canisters.

Final Tradeshow

My tradeshow was designed to feel like the interior of a mid-century service station. Complete with black and white tiled floors and two barmen operating a diner-style bar.

A photo-opportunity would have people hoping on a bicycle to complete the logo of Bob’s Java Hut.

Merch

Final Thoughts

I created two RTD coffee packaging concepts, informed by nostalgic design and mid-century appliances. This novel look was continued with my pop-up event, a Coffee Service Station complete with an attendant who would pump coffee into our branded, gas canister growlers. The trade show booth would take inspiration from old-school diners, complete with a bar for attendants to serve coffee and stools for people to rest, as well as a photo opportunity with our logo on the wall opposite the bar.