Hospitality / Brand
A coffee shop that wanted to be a lifestyle studio. Black, warm wood, brass, and a wordmark that holds the room together.
The brief
A founder team in Indianapolis with a name and a feeling. They didn't want another light-and-airy café — they wanted somewhere that read as evening at noon: low-lit, warm, deliberate. The challenge was making 'moody coffee shop' feel hospitable instead of pretentious.
The approach
Worked the brand and the room as one piece. Wordmark first — uppercase, soft-cornered, equal weight, no flourish. That set the rule for everything that followed: black walls, walnut bar, brass everything else. The 'O' from the wordmark became the cup-sleeve mark, the sticker, the door pull.
The outcome
Open since fall 2023 with a regulars list before the soft open. The brand identity ships across cups, merch, and an Indianapolis-specific 'INDIANA' lockup. Sister concept SkoshIndy followed.
The transformation
Before → After
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