cala coffee
IN-HOUSE DESIGN, SUMMER 2026
I had the opportunity to work alongside Cala Coffee, a Birmingham local coffee shop. Here, I created a series of promotional material for the brand using original as well as existing brand guidelines and material.
From poster design to matchboxes to scratch-offs, I got to see my designs executed in a local setting that was personal to me. Designing for Cala was an opportunity to work with a small business and really get into the brand and personality of the business, which is an experience I have found unique to in-house design.
Below are several projects I worked on in the span of just a few months.
ALABEV POSTER
For this project, I was tasked with producing a promotional poster. It was designed to go inside local grocery stores and advertise Cala’s wholesale coffee sold within the stores. I was asked to capture the brand and feel of Cala’s coffee while making it trendy, bright, and attention-grabbing.
I chose to design this poster using the colors seen on the coffee boxes being advertised. Working with existing color schemes, typefaces, and brand guidelines, I created a poster unique to Cala in a way designed to sell. I used 100% digital assets for this project, creating a customized mockup and graphic elements to match requirements.
I was also asked to create a design for scratch-off tickets, which are hidden around the cafes and used to get “prizes” or discounts on items in-store.
Using elements I was given from the brand guide, I created a design using a simplified version of the brand’s logo as the “scratch-off” element.
scratch-off tickets
summer newspaper
I had the opportunity to design layouts for Cala’s summer edition of their seasonal newspaper, Cala Chronicles. Working with articles, photos, and other pieces created by Cala’s baristas, I created a 7-page series of layouts for the paper, excluding the eighth advertisement page.
This newspaper was displayed at all three shops across Birmingham, so it was cool to design something that so many people would be looking at.
matchboxes
To make matchbooks for Cala, I had to think of how to encapsulate their brand in such a small product. The shop had just opened a new location, so I decided to use elements of the sign above that shop in the design of the matchbook. The four boxes with letters in them pay homage to the design of the signage at the new location, bringing a new design element to their brand as well as tying in the new store with the earlier designs. I also wanted to add an element of interaction to the matchbooks, so I designed the inside to “reveal” a message: Cala’s motto “create good days.”
retail menu
In order to streamline the shopping experience for customers, I created a “menu” for Cala’s retail shelf in their shop. This was a good exercise for me designing layout for something with a lot of text.
The retail menu was a fun way to highlight the selection of coffee Cala has, as well as the variety of businesses Cala partners with. I aimed to match the drink menu that already exists at the counter.
