We believe in sharing our expertise and insights around our process and how this helps our clients to shape cohesive brand experiences. We typically write about brand strategy, interior design, design thinking and also create downloadable resources and guides.
Sometimes, businesses reach a point where they feel like they are at a standstill, or like they have lost the passion for their business and so they start thinking about starting a whole new business. This can happen for both large and small businesses. The great thing is though, it is possible though to take...
From Bombay with Love is the delicious tagline of the distinguished restaurant Dishoom, that burst onto the London restaurant scene in 2010, opening in Covent Garden. Since then it has opened a further 8 locations, including ones in Manchester, Edinburgh and Birmingham. As we delve further into the Dishoom Restaurant brand story, you’ll see why...
Whether you have branding guidelines and simply want to know more, or you’re wondering what are brand guidelines, then this blog is for you. We’ll be exploring why they are important, what they cover and how they should be used. Whether its on the high street, online, adverts in magazines or on social media, we...
If you’ve read a few of our blog posts you should have a good understanding of what a brand or brand strategy is, this post will delve into the importance of branding, and how it affects your business. Branding is important to areas of your business you probably haven’t even identified yet. Below will help...
The topic around the value of a brand strategy, and what it provides is vast, as are the ways in which it elevates your business. Any business owner that is serious about the success of their business, and outperforming their competitors needs to start thinking ‘brand first’. A clear and well thought out brand strategy...
We are going to take a deeper look at the role of brand consultants, how they can help your business and some of the key things that must be considered when hiring a brand consultant. We look at how brand consultants can impact your business, marketing efforts and ultimately how they can support you to...
Introduction In a digitally conscious world, the word ‘brand’ has become an established term with every sector and industry. Brand and branding have been an over consuming buzz word in recent times. Studies have shown that millennial’s and Gen Z are more influenced by the “why” of a brand than by the “what” of a...
When we heard the news that Dirty Bones were working on a new speakeasy concept our ears pricked up immediately and like many we waited eagerly in anticipation for more news. If you’ve been living under a rock and for some unknown reason are unfamiliar with the Dirty Bones brand (like seriously, where have you...
London is one of the most vibrant cities in the world with a bursting hospitality scene, so it pays to stand out. As humans we experience everything with our eyes first, and in an ever-expansive digital age, we like to capture our experience with pictures perfect for social media. This means, that when people are...
Within the commercial interior design sector there are a few different types of interior design practices, each taking a slightly different approach depending on the style of venue. For example, hospitality interior design, retail design and workplace design all fall under this commercial interior umbrella but all have different needs when it comes to the...
Have you ever wondered what makes a restaurant experience so memorable? Or what makes the leading restaurant brand in your city more successful than its competitors? Well, the obvious answers would be the food and service. However if you look closely there is an intensive design driven process which binds the tangible and intangible brand...
Cafe Interiors Taking time to create a well considered cafe design concept which encompasses not only a great interior design but a strong brand ethos will ensure that when you open the doors to your cafe you are best positioned for success. It’s easy to assume that opening a cafe is about sourcing great food,...
Brand Communication Strategy – Is poor brand communication impacting your business growth? When it comes to brand communication there are typically two key characteristics or traits that we see especially in founders or executives when talking about their brand. Example 1: ‘Too much information’: The person who literally wants to tell you everything! And we...
Anyone can create a basic interior design concept but crafting a coffee shop design concept that is going to be successful and stand the test of time takes careful consideration across multiple aspects. Customers want more, they are longing to engage and connect with brands that genuinely align with their values so how do you...
It was a warm sunny day in London and after a terrific morning at the HRC event over at the ExCeL London there was just enough time left in the day to visit some of the hospitality spaces that are on our ‘wish-list’ of places to visit. We first came across Rosslyn on Instagram (@rosslyncoffee)...
An insight into our 360 brand process | The Collective This insight will showcase the behind the scenes development of our latest Coffee Shop project. Discover what it takes to turn an idea into a cohesive and memorable hospitality brand. From initial brand strategy, through the design process, right up to the interior visualisation stage, this...
In this guide, we will provide you with all the information you need to know about Bar Design. We will cover the basics and explore some of the most common questions when it comes to commercial bar design. Want to know how to go about opening your own bar? You’re in the right place. The...
Introduction In this guide we intend to provide you with a comprehensive list of branding books and authors that will help you if you are an entrepreneur, creative or strategist. We explore some of the more well known brand experts and authors like Marty Neumeier, Donald Miller and Simon Sinek. However, with some of our...
What is the secret to creating a memorable Restaurant experience? Creating a successful restaurant design is challenging enough and striking a balance between great food, a memorable experience and a beautiful interior is hard. A misconception is that the reputation of a restaurant is solely based on its food offering, however it’s so much more...
In this guide we will provide you with all the information you need to know about commercial interior design. We will cover the basics and explore some of the most common questions, as well as go into more depth on the commercial interior design process and share insights on successful case studies. What are Commercial...
In this guide we are going to provide you with all the information you need to understand how brand values form part of a bigger brand strategy. We explore some of the most common questions surrounding brand values. We provide some insight which will help you to define your own brand values. We look at...
Commercial Interior Design Interior design is responsible for the planning, design and implementation of interior concepts into spaces across many sectors including residential, medical, entertainment, educational, professional and commercial. Each one of the above sectors can be broken down into specific areas and we are going to take a closer look at the commercial design...
Neat Burger – Princes Street | London One of Grey Coffee’s most recent trips took us to London and specifically to Neat Burger. Having discovered this brand on Instagram months back we have been keeping up to date with their social content and learning more about the brand online. Having first engaged with the brand...
The Anthologist St Peter’s Square – Manchester.Grey Coffee took a research day out in Manchester and one of the key hospitality spaces we wanted to check out was The Anthologist – St Peter’s Square. Having seen Drake and Morgans work we were excited to see how the brand had put their stamp on their 2nd...
Coffee Shop Interior Design Ideas | Part 1 Interior design for hospitality essentially is a process that should consist of three things, brand strategy, brand identity and interior architecture. You may be refurbishing your interior, rebranding or creating a new coffee shop brand… whichever category you fall under, as a hospitality brand you should take...
How brand positioning can impact your coffee shop interior design Your brand positioning is the strategy you are using to set your brand apart from the rest of the high street and the well-known coffee brands, it is what makes you a credible, favoured coffee shop in consumers’ minds. A strong brand creates that differentiation...
The coffee shop industry has been enjoying substantial growth over the past decade, resulting in the high street coffee giants popping up in most UK towns. An incredible benefit of the booming coffee industry is that independent, local coffee shops are also thriving. Coffee culture is real, and it isn’t going anywhere, many coffee drinkers...
If you are considering opening a coffee shop or want to transform an existing site you already have the potential to create an incredible experience for your customers. But how do you turn your vision into a reality and create a coffee shop design that connects you with customers and goes above your competitors? Crafting...
The position of your brand goes far beyond how it looks, it is the values your brand holds, how it speaks to your prospective customers and who are those customers you are aiming to pull in with your brand? Why are they choosing your coffee shop above a well known coffee giant? Focusing on your...
There are an estimated 20,000 coffee shops in the United Kingdom, with the two largest chains making up just under 3,500 of those. Independent coffee shops are thriving, and so is the UK coffee industry, currently valued at £15bn. Timing has never been better to go it alone. Coffee shops are the ultimate day time...
Coffee Culture The coffee industry has gained traction in recent years, coffee drinking has developed into ‘coffee culture’ and is a part of so many daily routines. But let’s be honest grabbing a coffee isn’t just about drinking a lovely brewed coffee anymore is it? Coffee shops are the ‘go to’ environment for a variety...
There’s nothing that inspires us more than to design a restaurant interior. There are many factors to consider when designing a restaurant and it’s often a fine balancing act to get it completely right. The key things that usually need to be considered for restaurant interior design are as follows: In a post pandemic world...
Leading with purpose and building connected experiences for hospitality brands. The world is not the same place it was 12 months ago and the hospitality industry seems a long way away from getting back to operating how it once did. However for hospitality brands it’s important to not sit around and wait for the old...
Connected brand experience is the ability to shape consistent experiences across all customer touch points. At Grey Coffee we really believe that your customers’ brand experience starts way before they interact with any brand touch point and lasts long after that initial experience. Understanding how and where customers interact with your brand is critical...
Connected Brand Experience In a digital first world with a developing ‘instant’ culture, every interaction customers have with brands leaves a lasting effect, whether that be positive or negative. Engaging with a company is no longer just about the physical experience of buying a product or service it’s so, so much more than that. A...
Making time for a brand strategy workshop can certainly seem like a pressure when planning to undertake any brand development work. One of the biggest objections we often get is “how long is it going to take?”. We get it you’re busy, but until you start making time for your brand and building clarity it’s...
Understanding the importance of customer connection in a post pandemic world is vital for most businesses in 2021, but for the hospitality industry it might be pretty overwhelming to know where to start. Many businesses will be gearing up to reopen and to get back to ‘normal’ come the summer, but it may not prove...
If you’ve landed at our blog it is highly likely you have started to explore the subject of brand or brand strategy and have recognised the potential it has to transform your business. There are many theories of what brand is and what brand isn’t so it’s important we start with an understanding of the...
Understanding ‘Branded Interior Experiences’ Often overlooked, Brand Interior Experience is the key link between a brands identity, their physical environment and their customer. It’s the difference between a space just being designed to look nice and a space that is designed with brand purpose. Tangible & intangible | Essentially, when creating a brand interior experience...
Featured in Brand Matters this month: Why brands need to be more authentic in 2021! Our newest member of the Grey Coffee team Charlie shares her experience joining Grey Coffee during a global pandemic. We also take a look at what is happening over on our Instagram account, our favourite book this month and more news...
The creative industry is huge and deciding which career path to choose can be tricky, I studied Printed Textiles and Surface Pattern design and am now completing an internship developing new skills within Brand Strategy. I want to share my thoughts on what skills are useful to have in a designers ‘toolkit’ as well as...
Meet Charlie As the newest member of Grey Coffee… I wanted to share an insight into my creative experience so far and also let you in on the truths about starting my first graduate role in the middle of Covid-19. I enjoyed developing my creative design practice throughout University and having gained industry experience as...
Calling all App developers we are currently on the hunt for some new talent to support us with existing and new projects we have coming up in the studio. We are looking for mid-level App developers that have experience building native Apps for iOS or Android. Required Skills (iOS): Strong experience in iOS Development in...
One of the many reasons we love Manchester is its diversity and f&b scene. The food and beverage scene (f&b) is constantly developing and we find ourselves always uncovering new streets, bars and hidden gems, whenever we visit. Mackie Mayor was recommended to us by a friend, so when we had an afternoon spare we...
As consumers we are constantly interacting with brands all of the time, sometimes consciously and at other times subconsciously. User experience or ‘UX’ is a term that designers use when reviewing a website, app/interface basically any experience when interacting with a brand online. The result when design has considered the user is absolute bliss, a...
Why Brand Matters? The term brand is literally flying around everywhere, we can’t go more than 10 minutes in the studio with someone not mentioning brand, phone rings and yep you’ve guessed it, a client wants to talk about brand, we log on to social media and there it is splattered everywhere, ‘brand this’, ‘brand...
As the first quarter of 2019 sails off into the sunset, we are excited for the year ahead and wanted to take a look at some of the emerging food trends and what we can expect from the food and beverage sector for the rest of the year. Everyone Is talking Eco! Many business...
Google have recently confirmed that they made an update to the Google Search algorithm. The update has been labelled as a ‘broad core search ranking algorithm update’. As a result of this update some website owners are suggesting that their search rankings have been negatively affected. Unfortunately, it would seem that if your rankings have...
FITISM: Brand Identity. Over the last few years there is no doubt that people these days are generally more informed and certainly have a much better understanding of the term brand. This post will explore how you can challenge your own brand and hopefully understand further why brand is an integral part to any successful...
It has been quite some time since we posted on our blog and we really do have a lot to catch up on. 2018 was an incredible year for Grey Coffee and we started the year by moving into some inspiring new studio space at Kelham Hall. Kelham Hall is based just outside of Nottingham...
