2022

2025

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Advertisers

Entrant Companies

Bethany Lesko

Rui Maekawa

Lizzie Harris

Christal Sih

Wesley Tibbs

Individual Credits

Lead Designer

Design Company

Profile Website

https://lippincott.com/work/gumption-coffee/

Project Website

Client

Rui Maekawa, Senior Design Director, Lizzie Harris, Partner, Brand Voice, Christal Sih, Design Director and Wesley Tibbs, Brand Voice Associate

Design Team

Video (direct link)

Gumption Coffee was founded by an award-winning team of female entrepreneurs with a bold vision: help customers take on the world, one coffee cup at a time.

With Australian roots and a cult-like following, Gumption’s founders Hazel de los Reyes and Clare Lim had eyes on expansion in the U.S. After opening a roastery in Industry City, Brooklyn, the next step was a flagship location in Manhattan. But first, they needed a brand and retail experience that would bring Gumption to life for a new audience. We partnered with the founders to evolve their beloved brand and brew a wholly unique customer experience that would set Gumption apart in a saturated coffee landscape.
In doing so, we created a new brand platform, visual identity, digital channel strategy, and retail experience.

For Gumption Coffee to be successful, we needed to capture the true essence of Clare and Hazel, and the ethos that they have cultivated: Gumption is more than just a word. From Hazel’s humble origins of brewing coffee from a rewired popcorn machine to eventually being named Australian Barista Champion and Australian Cupping Champion, Gumption is a story of ingenuity, tenacity, and boldness.

We began crafting the brand’s strategy through this ethos, positioning Gumption Coffee as the secret weapon for the spirited, amplifying and unleashing that little voice already inside all of us to take on the world. We then balanced that spirit with expertise, emphasizing Gumption’s ability to deliver specialty coffee with speed.
The new visual toolkit is designed to be eye-catching and inclusive, a fresh departure from the minimal aesthetic that’s now commonplace. The brand voice, inspired by the brand purpose, is energetic, edgy, and clever and infuses these own-able characteristics across the spectrum of both in- and out-of-store communications. Think signage, comic walls, packaging, and more that say everything with a smile, tell a joke with a wink, and bring a bit of oomph to each moment.

Then, leaning on a history of designing transformative retail experiences, we went to work bringing the Gumption brand to life with a distinct and playful store design that played up sophisticated coffee cues. From the attention-grabbing storefront, to the wall of comics engagingly telling the founders’ story, to the signature wave centerpiece signaling the rush felt from a first sip of coffee, the space is thoughtfully designed to elevate human connection while serving customers quickly with their award-winning coffee. And, to further enhance the in-store offering, we developed a food partner strategy that features items sourced from other local, female-owned businesses.

To drive digital differentiation for Gumption, we created a comprehensive digital channel strategy, identifying a path forward for how the brand could stand out against its competitors. This included a digital touchpoint analysis to determine where whitespace existed in the market and developing a roadmap the brand could take to address it. And, with the onset of COVID-19 accelerating the need for a robust e-commerce presence, we worked with Gumption on developing solutions for online ordering.

Gumption Coffee officially opened its doors in midtown Manhattan in October 2020. With its new brand, a retail presence defined by a bold design and signature in-store touch points, and growing e-commerce presence, Gumption Coffee is poised to grow its footprint in New York City and beyond.

Gold Winner in Branding for Graphic Design

Silver Winner in Packaging Design for Graphic Design

Silver Winner in Branding for Beverages - Coffee

Creating a breakthrough brand for a beloved Australian coffee company