B&B Studio cut through the crowded coffee category with their identity and packaging for Mozzo

Setting them apart from many other ethically-positioned brands, Mozzo Coffee contribute a fixed social dividend for every bean sold to their Community2Community Fund™; investing in the coffee-growing communities they work with. In need of a striking new look to communicate this conscious mission, they reached out to London-based B&B Studio. Channelling the energy of Mozzo’s early days as a wind and solar-powered coffee cart, the branding agency devised an identity system that moves away from typical Italian heritage, instead building around the core tagline: ‘Coffee. Community. Connection.’ As a result, the company has been positioned as a social hub to bring together coffee growers, coffee makers and coffee drinkers.

At the heart of the identity are its vibrant colour palette and dynamic wordmark. Designed with digital animation in mind, the logo – with its extended ‘Z’ – embodies the core ethos of ‘connection’ whilst providing a frame for copy and illustrations. “The logo is based on the font FF Good Pro Narrow Ultra,” Marketing & Development Director Nellie Veltman explains. “The condensed letterforms accentuate the extended ‘Z’ and the bold weight has a proud confidence and contrasts with the hand-drawn illustrations used within the logo,” she adds. 

Discussing the wordmark further, Senior Designer Amy Joslyn reveals that the team wanted the packaging to feel “bold and disruptive,” something that they executed through several design decisions. “We felt that running the logo up the pack creates this disruption, with the labels being held in the logo space,” she explains. The wordmark is paired with an equally “bold, contemporary and direct” typographic direction, in order to amplify the brand’s purposeful personality.

There’s no doubt that Mozzo’s new look was designed to stand out with its high-energy colour palette of orange and mint green. Reflecting on the choice, the designer notes that “these colours create a sense of the warmth of roasted coffee with a contemporary vibrancy from the contrasting fresh green.” Whilst an unconventional pairing in the coffee market, this was exactly the direction the coffee company needed. “The combination feels unique and exciting,” she adds, “and helps to bring instant recognition, emboldening the brand as the true ethical challenger that it is.”

Creating a complementary palette to harmonise with the jarring primary pairing was no easy feat, a task that Joslyn describes as “a bit of a balancing act.”  To showcase the vast range of coffees available, B&B Studio landed on a pastel suite of colours for the labels; a selection that not only contrasts well with the core brand colours but also helps to “premiumise” the range.

The final piece of the puzzle, and a contrast to the “buzzing colour palette and bold typography,” the brand’s series of hand-drawn illustrations, created in-house, provide a  “raw, organic feel” to the visual language. Explaining the ideation behind these drawings, Joslyn highlights their “double visual,” which reflects the depth of Mozzo’s commitments as a brand and helps to convey their key messages.

B&B Studio

Mozzo Coffee