case study
Plainview Puffs
Learn how we developed the branding for a progressive Long Island pastry shop dedicated to creating a more equitable world through tasty cream puffs.
01. The Challenge
What do you do when you’re a cancer-surviving, privileged, white Jewish woman with a young daughter who witnessed a video of a Black man murder due to unjust police brutality at what would become the most significant civil rights movement since the 1960s?
You bake, of course.
Amanda Bloom is a Long Island native and long-time pastry chef who did precisely that as her way of contributing to the racial equity movement that sparked national conversation at the start of the historic George Floyd protests.
Originally launched as part of a social media #BakersAgainstRacism campaign, Amanda used her talents as a pastry chef to sell cream puffs. Her mission was to donate at least 10% of the proceeds of her oven-baked goods to civil rights groups and other nonprofit organizations committed to creating a more equitable America to effect change and create solidarity as an ally.
Finding success within her local area of Nassau County, she formally founded her business, Plainview Puffs. Amanda’s goal was to eventually buy a food truck staffed by formerly incarcerated, disadvantaged people of color while still giving back to charitable groups.
But before Plainview Puffs could do its mission-based work, Amanda needed to hire a creative company that would revamp its aesthetics and craft a fully-fledged brand that would be recognized by fans regionally.
Enter Blue Surge Marketing Agency.
02. The Strategy
When most new businesses think of branding, the first thing that comes to their mind is a logo. And while a logo is perhaps the most outwardly visible part of a company, it’s just one of the many components that coalesce together to create a cohesive brand. Tone, typography, voice, and color palette are necessary components that help companies communicate their brand to the world.
The design team at Blue Surge Marketing Agency understood this well and used our knowledge of color psychology, history, and Amanda’s taste to create a brand worthy of the Plainview Puffs title.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we had to cease in-person consultations. Despite this, Amanda virtually met with our Senior Graphic Designer, who listened to her specific needs and notated her preferences. We also developed a brand questionnaire that she completed collecting more information about the core values and inspiration she wanted to draw from.
She wanted a nostalgic feel that included her Plainview Puffs’ tagline, “Pastries for Progress.” Below are early iterations of the designs we created for her
I truly just want the logo to be something people can see and say "Yeah, I heard about them, they are the puff company that is trying to make a difference... I want it to be a symbol of taking care of others in the community as well as yourself.
03. The Results
Thanks to our combined efforts, we successfully designed a logo and brand style guide worthy of Plainview Puffs name. We added a purple gradient that transitioned through the circular ring.
We designed the logo to be simple enough to be seen easily from afar but sophisticated enough to stand out. The internal spacing on the center ‘puffs’ text is a reference to the cream puff filling. The design is modular enough to fit neatly into a profile picture on social media.
Work with a talented graphic design team that can bring your branding vision to life.
