Joe Muggs Coffee Rebranding
Revitalizing a bookstore café brand through collaborative design and strategic repositioning.
Team Specifics
Role: Art Director
Company: Books-A-Million
Collaborators: Open (New York design firm) & Creative Director
Timeline: 2007
Reach: 130 Joe Muggs locations across the US.
Context
Joe Muggs operates as the in-house coffee shop brand within Books-A-Million retail locations, designed to enhance the customer experience by providing quality coffee in a welcoming atmosphere. By 2007, the brand faced declining momentum and needed a fresh approach to compete in an increasingly sophisticated coffee market dominated by premium brands.
Problem
Joe Muggs was experiencing stagnant sales and lacked a cohesive brand identity. The existing marketing approach relied heavily on disconnected promotional tactics rather than a unified brand strategy. The coffee shop needed to differentiate itself as an approachable alternative to high-end competitors while maintaining its connection to the Books-A-Million retail environment.
Challenge
The project operated under significant constraints. Budget limitations meant we could only work with the existing logo rather than creating a complete rebrand from the ground up. The challenge was to create a fresh, compelling visual identity that would resonate with customers while staying within these parameters. Additionally, we needed to develop a system that could scale across 130 locations nationwide and multiple touchpoints (from packaging to in-store signage to digital advertising) requiring both creative vision and practical execution.
Solution
I partnered with our Creative Director and the New York-based design firm Open to develop a comprehensive visual identity system. We created a brighter color palette and introduced a rustic, letterpress-style design aesthetic that positioned Joe Muggs as warm and accessible rather than pretentious or overly refined.
My responsibilities included:
Package Design: Created the coffee bag and label system for "Joe's Choice Premium Coffee," incorporating our new design elements while working within the existing logo constraint.
Photography Direction: Served as Director of Photography for seasonal drink photo shoots, capturing compelling product imagery that brought each offering to life.
Post-Production: Edited all photography for use across in-store posters and marketing materials
Copywriting: Wrote promotional copy for posters, banners, menu boards, and digital advertisements that reinforced our approachable brand voice
Marketing Collateral: Designed and produced the full suite of marketing materials (posters, banners, menu boards, and digital ads) using our collaborative design system.
All printed materials were distributed to 130 Joe Muggs locations across the United States, creating a unified brand experience nationwide. The project also included our branded coffee tumbler program with discounted refills to drive customer loyalty.
Results
The rebranding delivered immediate, measurable impact:
6% sales increase in the first quarter following launch.
Sustained growth continued in subsequent quarters.
Successfully repositioned Joe Muggs as a viable, approachable café option that complemented the Books-A-Million shopping experience.
Created a scalable design system deployed across 130 locations nationwide.
Established consistent brand touchpoints from packaging to in-store environment to digital presence.
What I Learned
This project taught me the power of strategic collaboration and working within constraints. Partnering with Open pushed our internal creative team to think bigger while their expertise helped us execute at a higher level. I learned that budget limitations don't have to limit creativity. Some of our strongest solutions came from finding innovative ways to work within the existing logo framework.
Managing the full creative process (from directing photography to writing copy to designing final deliverables) showed me how integrated thinking creates stronger work. When the same person understands both the visual story and the written message, the final product becomes more cohesive and compelling.
The experience also reinforced the importance of cohesive brand identity over scattered promotional tactics. Customers respond to consistency and authenticity. Seeing our work deployed across 130 locations nationwide demonstrated how thoughtful design systems can scale effectively while maintaining quality and impact at every touchpoint.