Berkeley CA
Uncommon Grounds
Besties, E-Commerce, Food & Beverage
This old-school Berkeley coffee roastery was one of the first to source fair trade organic beans, supporting their producers’ longterm livelihood long before the market valued doing so. When a brutal backstab nearly killed their business, their unflinching commitment to community held them together to persevere against all odds.
Services
Tapestry of
A Fragmented Past
The Uncommon Grounds brand needed to honor their scars, not try to cover them up. We chose a gritty collage aesthetic that stitches together narrative and photography inspired by David Carson. This countercultural graphic design, used in underground music in the surf and skate era, alludes to the punk ethos of sticking to one’s values no matter the status quo.
One for
The Underdogs
Uncommon Grounds has been serving the community cup for more than 35 years, and much of the Uncommon crew has been working together for decades. Their loyalty to each other and their creativity in the face of hardship helped them transform challenge into strength and resilience, turning the corner and walking together with chins held high.
Honoring the Past
Looking to the Future
We are pleased to help unify the Uncommon Grounds crew with a brand they can grow with. The website, product packaging, and catalogue will help them market more products and services to a broader clientele. The open-ended collage style invites collaboration with local artists and mission-driven organizations to make more Cause Coffee blends in support of social and environmental justice. After working together, we can’t help but wish these uncommon values were a bit more common.
