Specialty coffee association brewing in Connecticut
CT Coffee Collaborative
COMPANYSCOPEROLECreative Director
TIMELINE2025 to Present
Brand identity, social, events
Project overview
The challenge
The Connecticut Coffee Collaborative (CCC) is a small group of specialty coffee professionals planning to operate as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. It focuses on education, hands-on training and positive workplaces across the state’s coffee scene.
My role
When Taki Tanaka proposed the association and its eight-member board, I joined as Creative Director and built its visual identity for online and in-person use: rooted in Connecticut and able to scale to whatever the group needs.
A brand with Connecticut roots
The CT Coffee Collaborative wordmark pairs a coffee-bean “o” with a bold, friendly type system that works on social posts, flyers and signage alike.
IDENTITY
At a glance
Logo system
One identity, from banner to sticker
The wordmark pairs a coffee-bean “o” with a bold, friendly type system that works on social posts, flyers and signage alike.
The full lockup stacks the latte-art mark over the wordmark. Each part also works alone: the mark for small spaces, the horizontal version for headers and banners, and a Connecticut-shaped badge for merch. The badge became a set of round stickers in four colors, printed on Avery sticker sheets.
Featured in Barista Magazine
Barista Magazine profiled the CCC as a statewide movement building a more inclusive, supportive coffee community.
PRESS
Jingle & Mingle
Our first event introduced the board at WeHa Coffee Roasters in West Hartford, in a space donated by Jason, the “New England Coffee Guy.” The holiday flyer and social story set the tone for events to come.
EVENT
Outcome
Results
The identity launched with the board at the first Jingle & Mingle and carried the collaborative into its first press: a Barista Magazine profile.
Lessons
Building the identity to scale, from social posts to event flyers, meant a volunteer board could keep using it without a designer in the room.
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