The Black Penny

Shut Up Studio was asked to work on the branding and concept for a new coffee concept,
based around the name: The Black Penny Coffee House. Research led to the 17th Century and the following concept
“The first wave of coffee shops to arrive in England were as much a place of revolution as comfort; the intelligencia’s destination choice for meetings of minds, where the seeds of an idea were as likely to be planted as the fruits of a coffee plant. Anyone was welcome in the Coffee House; whether you were an aristocrat or a soot stained street hustler, your voice would be heard. All you needed to be welcomed in and smell the coffee was a penny. Ever since, coffee shops the world over have been known as Penny Universities.”
We suggested using the name and its history to bring the Black Penny Coffee House ideals into the present day through the concept, store design and events. This would lead to a very different coffee house experience including a library with modern reading material and a seminar pit where monthly talks are held, all enhanced by the delicious food and coffee served daily.
We worked closely with the owner, architect, marketing and PR teams to develop these concepts into long term features and promotional graphics.