Plover Coffee Roasters Branding
Brand Identity, Packaging | 2025Plover Coffee Roasters is a vision for a coffee shop on the Sonoma County coast. I created a brand identity which showcased both their nature-centered philosophy and their unique food and beverage offerings.
Process
Surveying the local lands for natural inspiration.
Plover needed an entire brand identity, so the deliverables would include visual assets (such as logo, wordmarks, and a pattern) as well as brand identity guidelines.
As this company was focused on natural environment and encouraging inspiration in its customers, I knew that the visuals should look organic and approachable. For a sense of the local landscape, I visited the coast, researched the wildlife, and looked at images of areas to inform my process.
The target market for this coffee shop involved a lot of enthusiastic nature-lovers. This would include hikers stopping for a caffeine boost on the way to their local trek or a family looking for a spot to rest and regroup amidst a day of excursions.
Visual Assets
The visuals focused on the snowy plover, the namesake of the coffee shop. Nearby beaches serve as nesting sites for these endangered birds.
I incorporated the plover into all the assets. The logo features a charming plover illustration, interlaced with the silhouette of a coffee mug. The interplay between bird and cup conveys the core idea of an interconnectedness between the coffee shop and local environment.
The pattern and accents feature the footprints left behind by the plover on the wet sand of nearby shores. They add a dynamic element, suggesting motion and travel, mirroring the encouragement of exploration that is central to the brand’s values.
Color Palette
Blues span the Sonoma coast, dazzling in a wide range of shades.
I chose a simple, three-color palette for this project. The colors reflect the vibrant blues of coastline waters and wildflowers, paired with a neutral, weathered wood tone. The blues encourage a sense of serenity, with their warm-leaning hues inspire and energize. Similarly warm in hue, the beige mirrors the natural, light tones found in nature.
Type
A rounded sans serif and a classic typewriter font offer both friendliness and sophistication.
For the brand logo and other materials, I used Evergreen as the primary font and Courier as the secondary font. These fonts balance each other well — Evergreen offers an organic and inviting heading style, while the body is grounded by the subtle, yet sophisticated Courier.
Brand Voice & Tone
The brand’s tone is enthusiastic and approachable.
All social media and print collateral echoes the playful enthusiasm behind the brand’s mission. Marketing for the brand is infused with the existing visuals, as well as rounded lines and organic shapes. Taglines offer simple, catchy nods to the brand’s mission. The voice is casual, speaking to each visitor as a fellow human and explorer, and educating them along the way.
Takeaway
Bringing natural elements to a material world.
This project showcased the depth which can be created when a brand serves to spotlight the local environment and work alongside it, instead of distancing itself. In a coffee shop such as Plover, an act of consumption can ground someone in the present moment and bring appreciation to the simple ingredients provided by the earth, while providing energy to explore the physical world.
Plover Coffee Company is more than a coffee shop—it’s a sensory immersion into the spirit of the Sonoma coastline. Every sip tells a story of the land and sea, every visit helps protect what makes this region extraordinary.