The Wandering Brew

Company Overview

The Wandering Brew is a mobile coffee and food truck, built around the idea of coffee, adventure, and the joy of being on the move. I stepped in to support the new brand on the creative side, developing the logo concept and the brand identity while the client focused on finishing the truck set up.

Objective

Design company logo that could immediately communicate warmth, personality, and a sense of wanderlust.

Building the Character

I was given a rough sketch, as well as a vision centered on a playful, character-driven mark: a coffee cup wearing shorts and boots, carrying a backpack, and walking with a hiking stick. The character reflects The Wandering Brew’s adventurous spirit - coffee meant to travel, explore, and meet people where they are.

Brand Identity

The brand identity for The Wandering Brew was built around the spirit of movement, comfort, and adventure. As a mobile coffee trailer, the brand needed to feel approachable and nostalgic, while still standing out in busy outdoor and community-centered environments.

At the heart of the identity is a hand-drawn character logo: a cheerful coffee cup wearing boots and a backpack, walking with a hiking stick. This mascot brings personality, warmth, and storytelling into the brand, making The Wandering Brew feel less like a business and more like a friendly companion on the road.

The visual system brings together vintage-inspired hand-drawn illustration and a clean, modern framework. Typography is approachable and functional, adding personality without sacrificing clarity. A palette of layered greens, cream, and tan grounds the brand in the feeling of nature, hiking trails, and the quiet comfort of a good cup of coffee. These colors were selected to feel warm and inviting while remaining versatile and legible across signage, menus, packaging, and digital touchpoints.

Brand Strategy

Defined the brand’s personality, tone, and visual language to support growth from launch through future expansion, ensuring the identity could flex across physical, digital, and experiential touchpoints.

Brand Applications

As a new and growing brand, The Wandering Brew’s identity is currently driven primarily through foundational design touchpoints. I developed customer loyalty cards, a website banner, and branded coffee cups to establish a consistent, welcoming visual presence from the start. Each application focuses on clarity, warmth, and approachability, helping define the brand’s tone while laying the groundwork for future growth. Together, these pieces form an early but cohesive system that supports both in-person and digital engagement.

Menu Design

Designed for a fast-paced food truck environment, the menu for The Wandering Brew needed to be clear, flexible, and easy to read outdoors. As a mobile coffee trailer, visibility and simplicity were essential. The menu had to be legible from a distance, photograph well for social media, and function seamlessly as a handheld piece.

The design pulls directly from the brand identity, blending the adventurous, hand-drawn character of the logo with warm, approachable typography and a nature-inspired color palette. The layout prioritizes clarity and flow, guiding customers from classic coffee favorites to food to specialty drinks while supporting quick decision-making during busy service moments.