OUAN503 - UCC Coffee, Introduction

The UCC coffee brief was one of this years YCN briefs available to be completed by students. The aim of this particular brief was to creatively re-launch Grand Café coffee to 'improve engagement with current and new customers'. Grand Cafe coffee is one of the few types of coffee under the umbrella UCC Coffee. It mentioned in the brief that the Grand Café brand performs well amongst its current customers but the current designs don't do it justice, or represent the brand and what they're trying to do as well as it could. The brief wants an iconic visual brand to overcome the problems they have at the moment. The branding should represent not only the coffee itself and how good it is, but also the good it does in regards to the environment, and the things they're involved with. I noticed that they're involved in fair-trade and sustainable coffee as a whole for the people who work to make it and the environment. Furthermore UCC Coffee want the Grand Cafe brand to have a design and brand that will look good on a counter top, so be original, sleek and visually appealing to the customers.

The brief itself mentions that when delivery your work they want to know exactly what the thought process was behind the designs and the work that's submitted. Specifically about how the stuff produced relates back to who they are, their ethos and brand as a whole. To aid this they included a lot about the company and what they're looking for in the project back notes. In return they've asked for a simple summary to support the visualisation I produce. Something I liked in particular about this brief was that they're keen to see anything related to the brand that will help be produced. In other words no aspect of communication or avenue of advertising or design is off limits as far as designs and work that can be produced goes. This means it's important that I choose a range of formats that work well on their own but also support each other and when combined form a great opportunity for the relaunch of the brand. My early thoughts on this make me want to produce logos and packaging as a basic avenue to explore with the addition of a website and promotion film material so I can put some of my editing and video skills to the test. This will allow me to tell the story of the brand through material such as a promotion video, and I think narrative driven branding is one of the most powerful tools a company can have when trying to communicate and relate to its customers. The brief is so free in regards to what we're able to do that they're giving us the opportunity to rename specific products if we have an appropriate solution, and even introducing a new blend if we see fit. I'm going to try and keep in mind through the whole process what the brands ethos and the idea of sustainable products whilst being as innovative as I can be to support the direction they're trying to go with their brand. Some final considerations before I start;

• Strengthen the messaging around certifications.
• Think about the context of designs.
• Consider information booklets and even uniforms/posters.
• Be innovative and original.
• Attempt to empower the Grand Cafe staff through the designs.
• Communicate the brand through stories as best I can.