Identity

Naming

Branding

Packaging Design

Art Direction

Earnest Pursuit — Brand & Applications

United States

2026

This is V1 (02.13.2026) brand guide for Earnest Pursuit, a New York coffee roastery.

Project involved naming, branding, packaging design, art and creative direction, and manufacturing implementation.

Client

Earnest Pursuit sources, scores, and roasts coffee with distinct flavor profiles that are bright, accessible, and delicious.

Dylan Marvin, the owner of Earnest Pursuit, reached out to the studio after seeing the brand for Condensed Milk and Dulce de Leche liquid candy packaging from 2025.

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Assignment

Dylan had a specific vision for the brand, which we developed into a focused brief through initial research and discussions.

Lighthearted, irreverent, aspirational. A product that is excellent and design direction allowing it to stand out in all matching areas.

The scope spanned naming, identity, brand, art and creative direction. With a focus on packaging that will expand. And an overall visual language with a developed, intentional tone of voice.

Process

As we've already had a clear vision from our initial work with Dylan, we proceeded into creative concept development. A set of focused sprints visualizing creative approaches that fit established brand vision.

Concurrently we explored the technical packaging options and creative range that exists.

Through several rounds of conversation, the creative concept got fine-tuned and adjusted into selected packaging options.

As is common to brands in initial stages, the cycle of work is ongoing, expanding the brand into advertising and communications.

Results

A lively visual identity, with minimal illustrations paired with a structured but expressive typeface. All set by hand on glossy, tactile metal tins, direct printed with spot colors.

Irreverent tone of voice and a naming direction building on the illustration system, exploring life's small vignettes.

Encyclopedia of relevant content about coffee, life, and New York with an accompanying (and ever expanding) illustration system.

A design system that scales to additional roasts, wholesale and delivery packaging, merchandise and communications.

The result is a striking product. Tactile and interesting. Delicious coffee. An object of desire. Something you give as a gift. Something that catches the eye. Something you see on display in a stylish cafe.

Project Info ↗

Back panel of the sand Earnest Pursuit tin detailing tasting notes referencing dried blueberries and key lime pie, followed by process, varietal, and elevation information. A minimal blue world map highlights Ethiopia, connected to a stylized elevation graphic marked at 2,225 meters. The light sand background enhances legibility and calm. This composition demonstrates thoughtful art direction and packaging design studio expertise in combining branding, illustration, and technical information within a cohesive visual system.

Rear view of the sand-colored Earnest Pursuit coffee tin set against a soft neutral background. A blue QR code sits above concise typographic messaging, while a minimal blue line drawing of a Doberman anchors the lower portion. The generous negative space and careful alignment highlight deliberate creative direction and contemporary packaging design, where branding elements are distilled to their essential forms for clarity and impact.

Back view of the deep green Earnest Pursuit coffee tin photographed against a soft light grey studio background. A small QR code and concise typographic message sit centered near the top, while a minimal gold line illustration of a Doberman appears near the base. The matte label contrasts with the reflective silver lid and frame, highlighted by controlled natural lighting. The restrained composition demonstrates packaging design studio discipline, where branding, hierarchy, and negative space are carefully balanced within a contemporary graphic design system.

Front-facing view of the green Earnest Pursuit tin on a light grey background. Large gold sans-serif typography anchors the layout, while a refined line drawing of a Doberman sits beside a small cup. The tasting note appears with its cupping score of 85.5 and the callout “Let’s Jam.” The matte finish and measured spacing highlight thoughtful packaging design, confident branding, and art direction typical of a contemporary packaging design agency.

Focus photography on product. In studio or on black. Showcase the details, illustrations, gloss finish and rich colors.

Avoid intricate sets and decorations. Gradually introduce color and additional elements to develop brand photography. Retain the focus on the product (with reasonable exceptions). Shoot above 100mm in f16-18 range.

Remember.

Earnest Pursuit is both quality coffee and an object of desire, interior design. Relaxed, non-chalant, it lives on the counter, enjoyed in view, not hidden in the pantry.

Front-facing view of the Earnest Pursuit coffee tin in deep green, photographed against a solid black background with controlled studio lighting that highlights the metallic lid and crisp edges of the square container. Large, evenly spaced gold sans-serif typography anchors the composition, while a minimalist line illustration of a Doberman sits beside a small cup and crescent moon. The tasting note appears alongside a clearly stated cupping score and a “Let’s Jam” callout, demonstrating thoughtful packaging design, precise hierarchy, and refined art direction typical of a contemporary packaging design agency focused on clarity and restraint.

Back detail of the green Earnest Pursuit tin featuring illustrated origin information. A tasting description appears at the top, followed by process and varietal details. Minimal line graphics depict a world map with Honduras highlighted, connected by a dotted path to an elevation diagram. The structured layout integrates storytelling with clarity, demonstrating packaging design studio expertise in combining information design, branding, and illustration within a cohesive graphic system.

Rear detail of the sand-toned Earnest Pursuit tin presenting tasting notes, process information, varietals, and elevation data in clear blue typography. A minimal world map illustration highlights Ethiopia, with a dotted path linking to a stylized elevation graphic. The matte surface and cool blue ink create subtle contrast under studio lighting. This composition demonstrates thoughtful graphic design and art direction, where data visualization and packaging design coexist within a restrained, contemporary identity.

Side panel of the sand-colored Earnest Pursuit coffee tin featuring vertical blue typography and concise mission text set in a narrow column. The layout uses careful spacing and alignment to maintain balance against the metallic structure of the container. Soft highlights along the lid and frame accentuate materiality, reinforcing premium positioning. The branding studio approach to packaging design is evident in the controlled typographic system and disciplined graphic design execution.

Art direction — clear, interesting, charming.
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Monospace structure of Rational TW typeface gives order and rhythm to the visual system. At the same time its unique individual characters give text a lively, intentional feel.

The system is brought alive through hand drawn illustration.

Split composition featuring the sand Earnest Pursuit tin on the right and enlarged origin information layout on the left. The tasting notes reference dried blueberries and key lime pie, followed by process, varietal, and elevation details. A minimal line-drawn world map highlights Teraga, Oromia, Ethiopia, with a dotted path leading to a simplified elevation graphic. Blue typography contrasts against the warm sand background, demonstrating branding studio precision in hierarchy and spacing. The composition highlights graphic design clarity and packaging design structure through balanced negative space and restrained illustration.

Illustration drives Earnest Pursuit's identity.

Brands art direction is hand made, custom tailored, slightly imperfect, irreverent.

Earnest Pursuit is the work of an expert.

Minimal black line illustration set on a soft grey background featuring simplified elevation diagrams, a hand-drawn world map, and small symbolic icons including a crescent moon, a single flower stem, and a sun. The elevation graphics depict stylized mountain profiles above water lines, while the world map is rendered in an intentionally imperfect, sketch-like style. The composition presents the visual language developed for Earnest Pursuit packaging, showcasing the illustration system used to communicate origin, altitude, and tasting context. The restrained monochrome execution reflects packaging design studio discipline, where graphic design, information hierarchy, and art direction are unified through consistent line weight and thoughtful spacing within a broader branding identity framework.

Main product illustrations complete the visual language creating evocative vignettes of daily life and events.

Product naming is short, punchy, precise.

Combined with illustrations and taste notes, this produces stories on the front of the packaging, giving readers space to interpret.

A relaxed, irreverent tone.

Expect customers to toy with the packaging while enjoying their cup. Tell interesting stories.

Five square metal coffee tins are presented against a black background, photographed front-on to emphasize proportion, material, and consistency within the packaging design system for Earnest Pursuit. Each matte-finished tin features a silver screw-top lid and a disciplined typographic layout, with large, widely spaced sans-serif lettering establishing “EARNEST PURSUIT” as the primary visual anchor. Distinct colorways—deep green with muted gold, warm sand with blue, rich yellow with black, vibrant orange with white, and soft lavender with green—differentiate blends while maintaining cohesion across the range. Minimal line illustrations sit quietly along the lower portion of each label, introducing subtle narrative moments without disrupting the grid. Tasting notes and blend names such as “Let’s Jam,” “Let’s Chill,” “The Match,” “The View,” and “All Set” are positioned with measured spacing, reinforcing a branding agency approach grounded in clarity, restraint, and confident graphic design for contemporary coffee packaging.

Two sand-colored Earnest Pursuit coffee tins are presented against a warm neutral backdrop, one upright and one rotated to reveal the base panel. Blue sans-serif typography reads “Earnest Pursuit,” accompanied by concise mission text and roasting location details. A small blue QR code appears near the top right of the upright tin, while a minimal line illustration of a Doberman anchors the lower section. The metallic lid and frame catch soft, directional light, emphasizing material contrast. The composition reflects packaging design studio discipline, where branding, hierarchy, and proportion are resolved through precise graphic design and restrained art direction.

Tell interesting stories.

A series of ever expanding (go ahead think of something) illustrations gives Earnest Pursuit a visual language.

Tell stories through packaging, social media, communications and merchandise.

Make Earnest Pursuit memorable.

Apply illustrations creatively. Create merchandise that is attractive and well made. This adds depth and authenticity to the brand.

The result of the earnest effort pays off.

Tactile. Interesting. Delicious. An object of desire. Something one gives as a gift. Something that catches the eye.

Something you see on display. Perfectly depicting the quality. Something that tastes good.

earnestpursuit.com