Bear Hugs & Bold Brews
Black Bear Coffee is a coffee shop situated in Cauayan City Isabela. They pride themselves in being more than a spot for good food and coffee, but a haven for the community. Whether it’s a cozy breakfast with friends or a focused work night, Black Bear offers a refuge where customers can connect, unwind, and enjoy great food.
What we worked on:
Brand Strategy
Brand Identity
Packaging
Environment Design
Advertising & Social Media
Before Agape:
The catch? They didn’t have a clear identity to guide their growth. Their brand elements felt all over the place, with no cohesive theme or concept—making it hard to stand out next to the bigger players in the coffee and brunch scene.
Our Goal:
To keep the brand’s authentic small-business charm, driven by the owners’ passion for great food and coffee, while ensuring it could stand alongside the bigger coffee chains.
As Black Bear sets its sights on expanding in Isabela, they wanted to rebrand themselves to compete with the bigger coffee chains in the area.
To build a clear, cohesive identity for Black Bear, we first focused on defining its messaging. That’s where the brand message "Bear Hugs and Bold Brews" came in—a tagline that captures their goal of creating a warm, welcoming space for all, with coffee that’s truly “roared to perfection.”
Warmth. Community. Inclusivity.
The new direction features a color palette inspired by the great outdoors—earthy greens, browns, oranges, and blues—along with plenty of rough, hand-drawn illustrations that give it a rustic, welcoming feel.
We did away with their previously eclectic circus-inspired branding and swapped it for a cozy, vintage camp aesthetic that’s all about warmth and comfort.
Since hand-drawn imagery is a key part of the brand’s design, we chose to create the logo with a rough, imperfect style. This laid-back approach adds a sense of warmth and relatability, which flows through the other brand elements like the icons, patterns, and key visuals.
For the interiors, we suggested the use of more wood accents to balance out the previous wallpaper-heavy design, giving the space a warmer, cabin-like vibe that’s perfect for relaxing or getting work done.
With such a fun and unique concept, we wanted to bring the brand to life with a a central character to personify Black Bear: meet Bernie the Bear!
