Revelator Coffee
CREATIVE DIRECTION  |  BRAND BUILDING  |  THE WHOLE SHABANG
Revelator Coffee Company originated in Birmingham, Alabama, aspiring to bring a third-wave coffee experience, akin to the West Coast and Asia, to the Southeast. It rapidly expanded to 15+ locations, gaining recognition for its meticulously designed interiors and premium worldly coffee blends.

Over the course of two years I lead the brands visual evolution as we attempted to blend the the beauty of the spaces a with the warmth of a human touch.

Case Study Purpose: An in-depth look at 2 years of brand building for the Southeast’s premium coffee brand.
Logo Refresh
Revelator's original logo concept embodied its name, "one who reveals," but faced hurdles in achieving balance and integration within the brand's design system. Resolving these challenges was crucial, given the logo's pivotal role as the foundational element for further development. You will see more of why soon.
Logo Design Modifications
In the logo redesign, we restructured the hierarchy to prioritize the eye without disrupting the text flow. 
We introduced contrast by incorporating eyelashes against the eye's rays and ensured consistent spacing for improved visibility in signage and stitching applications.
LOGO USAGE
The primary logo with text was predominantly utilized for signage and out-of-home applications to maintain a serene atmosphere within the coffee shops, avoiding excessive brand noise.
The Eye
This was a crucial and memorable branding element primarily intended for in-store branding applications.
The Eye Stamp
To infuse customization and a personal touch, the brand stamped each cup with its distinctive eye logo. This enabled the brand to procure eco-friendly cups that didn't require printing.
Additional Eye Brand Usage
The eye was used for other interior branding elements such as packaging and employee uniforms.
Brand Colors - Primary
To complement our interior spaces and upcoming packaging, we opted for a warm off-white and black as the primary colors, accented with a hint of coffee tones. You’ll see more soon.
Secondary Colors
These colors were primarily used in our core packaging and web call to actions when we needed a little pop of color.
Tertiary Colors
We incorporated these colors into our coffee blend product line to complement the black and white scheme while introducing a vibrant array of colors that catch attention on store shelves.
Typography
I drew inspiration from old book covers and their interior pages to craft the typography, incorporating subtle references to literary tales.
Mrs. Eaves
The Quick Brown Fox 
Jumps Over the Lazy Dog
ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ
abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz | 0123456789
Headlines: A nod to vintage book cover typography choices
Archer
The Quick Brown Dog Jumps Over the Lazy Fox
ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ
abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz | 0123456789
Secondary Typeface - Used as body copy and a nod to typewriter typefaces
GOTHAM BOLD
The Quick Brown Fox 
Jumps Over the Lazy Dog
ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ
abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz | 0123456789
Tertiary Typeface: Only used for small use packaging and store signage for legibility sake
Core Blend Packaging
Revelator consistently stocked three primary coffee blends, drawing inspiration for their names from two renowned women writers and one of the company's co-founders.

Emma C - “Petunias” (Just a nick name)Katherine Anne Porter - “Pale Horse, Pale Rider ”Flannery O'Connor - “A Good Man is Hard to Find” character the misfit.
Core Blend Packaging Design
Adhering to the company's eco-friendly commitment, Revelator opted for unprinted bags. This presented 
the challenge of creating a design that remained 
subtle yet distinctive across more than 15 coffee 
options simultaneously.

The solution involved crafting a distinct illustrated border within a .25-inch space, granting each bag its individual character while maintaining consistency in element placement. Inspired again by the idea of older books, the idea centered on intricately detailed organic illustrative borders.

Notice the petunias nod from the image. =)
Single Origin Packaging Label Design
Apart from the 3 core blends, Revelator would feature up to 10 single-origin coffees concurrently. Adhering to the ornate border design, I developed patterns in a 5x5 grid, allowing interchangeable use as new offerings rotated in and out while maintaining distinct individual designs.

Unlike the core blends, these single-origin designs were geometric rather than story-driven, establishing a fluid design system for the changing offerings.

Again, this all had to be done within .25 inch.
Pattern Design Implementation
Each of the offerings received its own unique pattern and used the tertiary color palates.
Additional Limited Package Design
Limited-time coffee runs featured distinctly unique custom blends crafted with an emphasis on "organic geometry," setting them apart from the other offerings.
“9 to 5” Package
This was the blend for our wholesale office. Again, paying tribute to another famous woman, Dolly Parton.  (Notice the rein-stone design)
Full Packaging Set
Here we see the full spectrum of colors in use which provided a nice contrast to the brands spaces. Also a nod to the companies dedication to diversity and inclusivity. ;)
White Labeling Packaging
Occasionally, we created designs for white-label products. Here's one of them.
CoffeeMilk
Logo mark and packaging for coffee flavored milk product.
Illustration Style
To inject more humanity into the brand, I chose hand-drawn black and white illustrations to enhance the brand's image without appearing overly cliché. This artistic style was applied across all elements, from icons to advertisements.

This approach empowered Revelator's staff, many of whom were talented artists, to create local advertisements effortlessly and swiftly, infusing a sense of fun into the process.

Sometimes they did things in color too... That was ok.
Education Manue
l80+ Page book educating staff how to operate filled with custom illustrations and photography. Link below.
(DOWNLOAD FULL VERSION)
Menu Design.
This mark became a critical memorable branding element for cups, stickers, hats and other collateral.
Location Personalization Examples
Each location received custom illustrated stamps to give their cups, menus and other collateral.
Photography and Social Media Direction
Revelator encompassed more than just stunning spaces and delightful coffee. Through our imagery, we aimed to emphasize community, love, and, of course, our products and locations.
Brand book
80+ page book built on defing the revelator brand’s standards
(DOWNLOAD FULL VERSION)
New Website design
MENU BOARD DESIGN
Revelator aimed to avoid digital menu boards but sought a solution that offered high flexibility while adhering to the brand's aesthetics and typography.
Coffee Mug PROTOTYPING
Made sure that our new mugs could stack and sip correctly.
Tap Handle Design

Tap handle design using the “Petunias” color.
THANK YOU
Meredith S. - Marketing
Matt B. - Marketing
Jose G. - Designer
Gwen B. - Social
Withal
An in-depth case study at the repositioning and evolution of the ScoutMob brand.
tBTC Crypto
A case study for building a more technically focused brand.
Tokyo Magenta
A current look at an ongoing conceptual experimental movie using A.I. practices.
Round Trip Brewing Company
Elevation of an existing brand through world-building illustrations and assets for packaging.
Cinnabon “Snack Bites”
Conceptual campaign work and product photography/scanning to create a fluid and modular global campaign.
FIZZ
Product and branding for a coffee infused fruit forward energy drink
DanceFest Studios
Brand execution for a premium dance experience catered to both children and their parents
EVEN BETTER BAR
Campaign conceptual work inside strict brand guidelines using very minimal elements and motion design.
Samsung Galaxy 8
Creation of photorealistic hand drawn elements to be showcased at massive scale, executed worldwide.
THE FOLLOWING
ARE UNDER
(MORE)
CONSTRUCTION
MarketWake
Detailed description into the
Icon Source
Brand Refresh  |  Web Design  |
Icon Source
Brand Refresh  |  Web Design  |
Venture Atlanta
Brand Refresh  |  Web Design  |
HAIRCLUB
Brand Refresh  |  Web Design  |
Bitcoin Depot
Brand Refresh  |  Web Design  |
SEE CAREER 
WEB TIMELINE
CONTACT
Frank Jefferis
404.234.491five
frankjefferis@frankjefferis.com
Brand Identity
Brand Building
Illustrations
Photomanipulations
2D Animation
3D Modeling & Animation
Experiential
Video & Photography
Web Design & UI
Experimental