His Legacy Coffee: Holistic Branding & Identity

Siya Nzimande

Completed work

Art Director

Brand Designer

Brand Strategist

Adobe Illustrator

Adobe Photoshop

Hospitality

For His Legacy Coffee, a Pretoria-based coffee shop, I crafted a comprehensive brand identity with a focus on differentiation in an oversaturated market. In a city where coffee shops are ubiquitous, standing out was key — especially with the brand’s core messaging of “Engaging Community.”

Straying away from the typical black-and-white coffee shop aesthetics, I carefully curated a color palette that evokes warmth, safety, and zen-like tranquility, while still leaving room for vibrant pops of color that bring a fun, inviting energy to the space.

The logotype design was a balancing act of boldness and subtlety. I wanted it to be powerful yet welcoming, creating a sense of certainty without overwhelming the space. The final logotype complements the heartfelt tribute illustration, allowing it to shine while also standing strong on its own.

This branding project was driven by the keywords Bold, Certain, Inviting, and Intentional, which became the backbone of the visual identity and tone for His Legacy Coffee, offering both a calming space and an engaging community hub.

The main thought that guided the colour palette was to firstly stray away from black & white, in the Pretoria area, in an era where there is a coffee shop on every corner - clear differentiation from nearby competitors is important. With the key messaging for the brand being "Engaging Community" - colours that evoked a safe, welcoming & zen space but still allowed for pops of fun / colour were carefully curated and refined.

Bold. Certain. Inviting. Intentional.

These were some of the keywords making laps around my mind as I explored the typography that would establish itself as the brand's logotype. It had to be bold but not overpowering in its feel, but at the same time the logotype needed to be welcoming and zen. Understanding that this would accompany a heartfelt tribute illustration, the logotype would need to balance certainty with an understated boldness to allow the illustration to have its moment as the key visual while also being strong enough to stand on its own.