Case Study: Bandido Coffee

Background

Tired of the daily grind, Chad Campbell had a vision to launch a new kind of coffee company. With a full-time job at WeWork, the project would begin as a side project, but Campbell wanted to grow the company to the extent that he could quit his day job.

Bandido would be an independent coffee brand, priding itself on the high quality of its beans and roasts, as well as having a ‘disruptive and playful' attitude. But Campbell would need help in bringing the vision to life, and source funding to get the business off the ground. So he approached his old friends at Magpie Studio.

The brief

The brief described how, in such a crowded market, branding would be key to standing out. Campbell wanted Bandido to embody their ‘disruptive and playful' attitude, but aesthetically appeal to a modern audience. Magpie Studios Founder and Creative Partner Ben Christie explains "He wanted it to be about more than just the coffee itself - he talked about doing things differently - a movement of like-minded individuals who had a zest for life."

Campbell himself embodies the west coast ideal, living in Laurel Canyon, California. A self-contained neighbourhood in the vicinity of Hollywood, Laurel Canyon has a history of counterculture; it's been home to musicians like Frank Zappa, Jim Morrison, Joni Mitchell and Neil Young. As Christie explains, "we felt the brand could harness a lot of this free-thinking attitude."