Ugly Mug Coffee

Unpretentious premium coffee: the world was ready. Packaging, advertising, blogger relations and an identity system for Ugly Mug worked so well, they had to scramble to buy another roaster.

With a minimal budget to get Ugly Mug stocked in major grocery chains, we started with research. Our conclusion: people identified with the name; the coffee was good, but the packaging wasn’t leveraging the brand enough; and the decision to try a new coffee was made standing in the grocery aisle. So, we started with their packaging: bags designed with authentic wood cut type (the brand is nothing if not real) and copy that told the story with an attitude (one which could not be mistaken for that cloying Starbucksian coziness), Ugly Mug found its way onto shelves from Maine to Florida. Upon launch, we sent influential bloggers—food blogs, “cool new stuff” blogs, design blogs, coffee blogs—the packaging, some ad reprints and a poster. The result? Way more exposure than Ugly Mug could ever afford, and a healthy online sales curve.

Note: among other awards, this work has been awarded a “Platinum” from Graphis, a global publication, and been featured alongside Coca-Cola, Tazo, Vespa and Wolfgang Puck in Graphis’ Corporate Identity textbook.