rainbow grocery & cafe

COURSE: BRANDING STRATEGIES

INSTRUCTOR: THOMAS MCNULTY

BRAND VALUES: LOCAL, ACCESSIBLE, ORGANIC

Rainbow Grocery is a neighborhood cooperative store located in the Mission District of San Francisco. Founded in 1975, Rainbow Grocery has become a San Francisco institution that prides itself on providing affordable vegetarian food, supporting local suppliers, promoting environmental consciousness, and creating a diverse and non-discriminatory environment for it's employees and customers.

Rainbow Grocery has a loyal and expectant customer base, which made it important to retain some of their existing identity. Instead of doing a brand overhaul, I opted to refresh Rainbow's existing system. I also created an additional identity for an on-site café to help attract San Francisco's changing demographic.

RAINBOW GROCERY & CAFE OBJECTIVE

Rainbow's staff and customers are put off by the massive gentrification of their city, and by national brands like Whole Foods and Raley's that claim to support local suppliers. As one of San Francisco's oldest grocery stores, it was important to keep Rainbow Grocery's identity and values intact. 

This is why I kept Rainbow's DNA in place, retaining the stylized "o" and serif typeface. I refreshed the brand by adding budding sprouts and a rainbow shape above the wordmark. My goal was to keep the existing Rainbow base happy, while also attracting a younger generation, whose future business Rainbow will depend on. I also decided to create Rainbow Cafe, where shoppers can pick up coffee or small meals, and act as a neighborhood hub.