Norwich boasts an impressive array of independent delis, cafés and coffeehouses. It’s a thriving, enthusiastic community of chefs, bakers, baristas and small business owners dedicated to serving those who take their daily sustenance a little more seriously than a quick trip to Tesco.

We were very pleased to be asked by Steven Winter, founder of Union Yard, to create a new brand identity, signage and packaging for the latest addition to Norwich’s independent café scene. In a sea of mock-Italian coffeehouse chains, Union Yard brings a touch of variety to early morning commuters and those in search of food throughout the day, with specially selected loose-leaf teas, premium coffee and locally sourced produce. An impressive array of baked goods are on offer courtesy of Dozen, a local artisan bakery and client of The Click.

The brand
The inspiration at the heart of the Union Yard brand is the ubiquitous card coffee cup. It’s difficult to make it into work in the morning without spotting tens of corrugated containers clutched in besuited hands, usually alongside a Smartphone or copy of the morning newspaper. For the logo, the initial of Union Yard becomes one such steaming receptacle, used to contain any number of hot beverages. Although the Union Yard wordmark features the logo and takes precedent on signage and across many printed applications, the ‘U’ logo functions in isolation, providing the flexibility to extend the brand across diverse products.

The font used for the Union Yard identity is Bebas, chosen for its thick, condensed lettering reminiscent of early 20th century typography. Bebas works well with the proportions of the brand name, fits into the various required applications and creates a bold wordmark suitable for signage.

The Café
Union Yard is located on the corner of a busy junction at the heart of the Norwich business district, close to the main offices of Aviva. With competition from other cafés located nearby, we wanted to ensure Union Yard maintained a strong presence on the high street. Bold, monochrome signage adorns the front of the store, ensuring clear exterior branding. Inside, menu boards inform customers of prices and daily specials.

The print
The Union Yard wordmark and logo is applied to the vast majority of products sold in the café via a simple and cost effective rubber stamp. This covers branded card sleeves for takeaway cups and bags of loose-leaf teas. The ‘U’ logo is used on brown paper bags, tea bags and price tags for the wealth of pastries on sale.

If you find yourself in Norwich, you can pay Union Yard a visit at 5a St. Stephens Street to grab a cup of something hot. To find out what they have on offer day-to-day, follow @unionyard on Twitter.

The Click would like to thank David Airey for featuring our work on Identity Designed for the third time. Our first feature was the brand identity we created for Burlingham Woodland Walks, the second was our Asperger East Anglia brand identity.

To see more of our work, visit The Click Design Consultants and follow @theclickdesign on Twitter.

(re-posted from: http://identitydesigned.com/union-yard/)