The Tomorrow Cafe
Duration
2 weeks
Project Type
Branding & Logo Design
Contribution
Graphic Design Intern
Tools Used
Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop
Overview
The Tomorrow Cafe is a unique space developed by CIIE.CO to foster creativity, innovation, and community interaction. It serves as a meeting spot for entrepreneurs, innovators, and designers, providing a comfortable environment for discussions and collaborations. As part of my internship at CIIE.CO, I was assigned the responsibility of designing the logo for The Tomorrow Cafe. The challenge was to create a design that reflected the cafe’s ethos of creativity and collaboration, while still aligning with CIIE.CO’s broader brand identity.
Unlike other design projects I worked on at CIIE.CO, this was special as it represented a new venture for the organization—a physical space dedicated to fostering ideas. The logo had to encapsulate this sense of new beginnings, creativity, and openness, while still feeling like a cohesive part of the CIIE.CO brand.
Challenges
While The Tomorrow Cafe is part of CIIE.CO, it needed its own visual identity that distinguished it from other CIIE.CO initiatives. The challenge was to strike a balance between making the logo different yet familiar, ensuring it fit within the overall CIIE.CO brand guidelines but still had its unique personality.
The logo had to represent the cafe’s role as a gathering space for creatives and innovators. It needed to feel inviting and inspiring, evoking a sense of collaboration and idea-sharing while maintaining a modern and professional aesthetic.
CIIE.CO wanted the logo for The Tomorrow Cafe to depart slightly from their traditional branding, giving me creative freedom to explore more abstract and expressive design elements. However, the challenge was ensuring the logo still resonated with CIIE.CO’s values and purpose.
Solution
I created a minimalist, modern logo that captured the essence of the cafe as a place for brainstorming and collaboration. I chose to focus on a sleek, interconnected design that symbolized the flow of ideas. The choice of typography and iconography was meant to evoke creativity, openness, and a welcoming atmosphere.
While the logo departed from CIIE.CO’s standard brand elements, it maintained subtle ties to their identity through color choices and typography. The logo uses softer hues and fluid shapes to differentiate The Tomorrow Cafe while ensuring it still feels like a part of the CIIE.CO family.
Incorporating the essence of “Tomorrow” as a forward-thinking space, I designed a logo that felt progressive and modern. The iconography hinted at innovation and connectedness, using abstract shapes to symbolize the endless possibilities that could come from coffee table conversations and creative exchanges.
Research
Understanding the Cafe’s Mission
Before designing the logo, I conducted research into what The Tomorrow Cafe aimed to represent. I learned that it was more than just a cafe—it was intended as a hub for creatives, a place where entrepreneurs and innovators could come together to exchange ideas. This informed my design direction, focusing on themes of collaboration, creativity, and connection.
Analyzing Modern Cafe Branding
I reviewed branding for other cafes and co-working spaces known for fostering creativity, such as WeWork and other innovation spaces. I noticed that many successful brands focused on simplicity and minimalism, allowing the space itself to take center stage while the logo served as a subtle complement.
Implementation
Iteration Process
I explored several design concepts, including abstract symbols and minimalistic typography. Through multiple rounds of iteration, I narrowed down the design to something that felt both modern and timeless, aligning with the collaborative spirit of the cafe. I experimented with different fonts and shapes, receiving feedback from both my manager and the CIIE.CO team to ensure the final design hit the right tone.
Design for Print and Digital
The logo was designed to be versatile, working equally well in print and digital formats. This ensured the logo could be used on everything from cafe signage to social media profiles and event banners. The design was optimized for small spaces (such as coffee cups or menu boards) as well as larger formats (such as event posters or digital marketing materials).
Design
Logo Overview
The final design features an interconnected, flowing icon that represents the exchange of ideas over coffee, combined with sleek typography to give the logo a modern, professional feel. The fluid shapes symbolize creativity and collaboration, aligning with the mission of The Tomorrow Cafe to serve as a space for innovation and idea-sharing.
Color Palette and Typography
I used a color palette that subtly referenced CIIE.CO’s branding while incorporating softer, more creative tones to set The Tomorrow Cafe apart. The typography was chosen to be clean and modern, complementing the abstract icon without overwhelming the design.
Key Takeaways
Learnings:
- This project reinforced the importance of creating a visual identity that reflects the mission and purpose of a space. The Tomorrow Cafe needed a logo that embodied creativity, community, and collaboration, and I learned how to balance these abstract ideas within a clean, functional design. The process also taught me how to create a logo that works across multiple mediums, from signage to digital applications.
Challenges & Solutions:
- Challenge: The need to differentiate the logo from CIIE.CO’s existing branding while still maintaining some brand cohesion.
- Solution: I used softer colors and abstract shapes to create a distinct identity for the cafe, while maintaining subtle references to CIIE.CO’s brand elements.
- Challenge: Ensuring the logo conveyed the cafe’s collaborative mission.
- Solution: I focused on creating a flowing, interconnected design that represented the exchange of ideas in a creative, welcoming environment.
Live Prototype
Thank you for reading! 👋
I appreciate you taking the time to read through my first billion dollar idea, Skillay.
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