the whole bean
The Whole Bean is a new coffee shop focused on building a brand rooted in community and meaningful connection.
My Role
As the UX designer, my goal was to create a logo that not only stood out but also reflected The Whole Bean’s guiding principles: sustainability, authenticity, and community.
Deliverables
Final Logo Design
User Testing Feedback
Logo Assets Package
Style Guide
How might we create a logo that gives The Whole Bean a unique position in the market?
The Design Process
Research & Analysis
To create an effective logo design, I analyzed popular coffee shop logos, including Caribou Coffee, Starbucks, Peet’s, and The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf. These logos share common design elements that appeal to customers:
Simplicity
A focus on a memorable image
The use of earthy colors like blues, browns, and greens
These insights guided my approach to designing a logo that reflects The Whole Bean’s identity while standing out in the market.
I worked closely with the shop owners to understand the vision and core values. Using insights from CRM data, I created a group persona that reflected The Whole Bean’s loyal customer base. This alignment between audience and brand helped guide a logo design that truly captured the shop’s essence.
Key Values
Enjoy high-quality, well-brewed coffee that feels crafted, not mass-produced.
Value sustainability and brands that reflect a creative, modern lifestyle.
Logo Design Insights
Soft neutral palette with a bold accent to reflect both calm and energy.
A warm, inviting style that signals connection, care, and individuality.
meet the whole crew
While The Whole Bean’s values guided the logo concept, I wanted the design to reflect the people who bring its atmosphere to life. The Whole Crew represents the shop’s heart—diverse, intentional, and full of personality. Their shared love of quality, connection, and creativity helped shape the tone and warmth of the brand’s identity.
Symbolism & Creative Elements
Sustainability: The coffee plant represents The Whole Bean’s resourceful use of every part of the plant—brewing unique beverages like cascara and coffee leaf tea—and is reinforced by sustainable, eco-friendly packaging.
Authenticity: Like the gorilla’s nutrient-rich diet, the shop focuses on high-quality coffee beans packed with antioxidants.
Community: The gorilla also symbolizes connection and strength, echoing The Whole Bean’s mission to create a welcoming space for coffee lovers.
Creating The Logo
To bring the character to life, I hand-traced reference images and combined key features into one cohesive illustration—a gorilla with a warm expression, savoring a cup of coffee. The design was meant to reflect The Whole Bean’s comforting and approachable personality. I then refined the sketch in Adobe Illustrator, shaping the details and adding color.
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For the coffee plant, I explored multiple styles—starting with early motifs in Canva, then building the final version in Illustrator using simplified elements of beans, cherries, and leaves. I completed the design in Canva, experimenting with typography and layout to create a logo that feels friendly, confident, and balanced.
Variations
After reviewing the final logo options, the owner recommended adding a circular background in #09435F with a metallic #23b7b0 border to boost visibility and impact. These refinements shaped the final two logos, which were presented for A/B testing.
A/B split testing helped determine which logo variation best captured the company’s values and strengthened brand connection. While both sparked discussion, 86% of participants preferred the brown gorilla, citing its warmth, friendliness, and alignment with the company’s authentic, welcoming personality. These results validated the design direction and reinforced the brand’s identity through visual storytelling.
What values or messages come across most clearly in this design?
Does the logo feel connected to the brand? Why or why not?
Takeaway
The feedback showed that the logo communicated authenticity and community well, while sustainability came through for some but not all participants. The extra text “Coffee Shop” was flagged as unnecessary, so I simplified the design to improve focus and adaptability.
After simplifying the logo, 57% of participants connected it more clearly to The Whole Bean’s values. The refinement reinforced the logo’s distinctiveness, strengthening its ability to set the shop apart in a crowded coffee market.
Feedback confirmed that the gorilla’s warmth and charm made the logo memorable, while pairing it with the coffee plant added clarity and balance. The final design gave The Whole Bean a distinctive identity that resonated with participants and, like most logos, leaves room for future enhancements as the brand grows.
To ensure consistency across digital and physical touchpoints, I created a lightweight style guide outlining The Whole Bean’s core colors, typography, logo usage, and spacing. This guide supports clear, cohesive brand expression wherever the logo appears—from packaging to social to merchandise.
View Full style guide
Accessibility was built into both the case study and the brand materials. My goal was to create an experience that worked equally well for listeners and viewers, using inclusive, user-first language to reflect different ways people engage with content.
Because the project is highly visual, I focused on alt text that supports non-visual storytelling—descriptive, emotionally aligned, and paced to mirror the onscreen flow. I also ensured strong color contrast for legibility and designed the logo to stay clear and readable across different backgrounds.