Final brand system — Ala-Too Roasters
The Challenge
Ala-Too Roasters wanted to position themselves as a premium specialty coffee brand rooted in Kyrgyz identity — without falling into folklore clichés. The brief asked for something contemporary that could hold its own against Scandinavian minimalism while feeling unmistakably Central Asian.
Process
Discovery
Three weeks of brand archaeology — competitors, cultural references, customer interviews at the roastery.
Identity Design
Typography-first approach. Tested 12 wordmark directions before settling on a modified geometric sans.
System Build
Extended the mark into a full system: packaging, merchandise, digital templates, motion principles.
Before / After
Colour System
Packaging
The bag system uses a single-line illustration of mountain ridges — abstract enough to avoid kitsch, recognisable enough to carry meaning. Each origin gets a different altitude silhouette.
Typography
Primary typeface is a modified version of Neue Haas Grotesk. We cut custom alternates for the K and A to echo the angular geometry of mountain peaks without being literal about it.
Design Principles
Results
Timeline
Competitive landscape, audience research, visual benchmarking.
Positioning statement, brand personality, naming architecture.
Logo exploration, typography selection, colour development.
Brand guidelines, packaging artwork, digital templates.
Gallery
"We wanted something that felt like us — not like a Western idea of what a coffee brand from here should look like. That's exactly what we got."
— Aziz Dzhaksybekov, Founder