The Black Penny

I was approached to come up with the identity for The Black Penny: a coffee shop with a difference initially based in Covent Garden, London. Now at three locations across London.

The first wave of coffee shops to arrive in England were as much about signifying a revolutionary movement as they were a place of comfort, everyone was welcome in the Coffee House. All you needed to enter was a penny, and so ever since, the traditional term for coffee shops has been Penny Universities.

I worked up this concept in close contact with the architect for the space, making sure the design aesthetic in everything from its branding through to its store design wouldn’t feel out of place in the 18th Century whilst feeling desirable and accessible to a modern customer.

Scope of work:
Brand identity
Store design concept
Store props
Store signage
Opening materials
Window vinyls