Chameleon Coffee

Chameleon Coffee founder Chris Campbell came to us with an exciting challenge. The organic, specialty-grade coffee brand he spent years building had been purchased by Nestlé the year prior, and rapid expansion and product diversification were on the horizon. Their original product set of concentrated, bottled ready-to-drink cold-brews and bagged coffees would soon expand into ready-to-drink cans, K-cups, bulk bags, CBD coffee, and even a new line of teas.

The brand as it stood was built by dozens of hands over almost as many years, and it lacked the cohesiveness and consistency required to scale successfully into a leading national brand. Chris knew he needed to refine and optimize his brand system, but he was resolute in his desire to maintain the coffee’s craft-made soul and funky Austin personality. Our goal became clear: to bring consistency and alignment in package architecture, design and language across the portfolio, while keeping the quirky charm and unconventional wit embodied by a blinged-out mosaic reptile known simply as “The Dude.”

We dove into working with both Nestlé and Chameleon’s longtime team in Austin, building a refined design system and messaging hierarchy that reflects the brand’s roots, and also stands out in a highly-competitive category, across a variety of package formats with varying competitive sets.

Our team crafted a package protocol that allowed the Chameleon name and organic quality promise to stand front and center, but that was also versatile enough to adapt to specify unique products across each bottle, cup, bag, box and pod. We built improved brand messaging, bolstering legacy language with new copy that speaks to both Chameleon’s premium offering, and their buzzy personality.

Further we aligned the color system of the brand, to communicate each flavor offering consistently across the entire product portfolio. Metallic foil, spot varnishes and smart material choices add a quick visual punch, to stand out on crowded shelves. We then fine-tuned production parameters, to work across varying print and manufacturing processes and facilities across the country.

The end result is a system that celebrates the brand’s craft origins, quality and sustainability initiatives while jumping out in retail, and communicating more clearly to consumers. We expanded the design system across the brand’s website, tradeshow presence, point of sale materials and beyond, creating an emboldened brand identity system that is more impactful, more informative and more fun—and 100% uniquely Chameleon.