Originating in Berkeley, CA, 1966 Alfred Peet set out to show Americans the art of fresh, dark, and sweet coffee roast blends while simultaneously implementing the shortest distance possible between the roaster and the customer. Ultimately he was dedicated to making good coffee that was made fresh, by hand, from multiple locations using high quality beans. Another part of Peet’s identity is trying to incorporate sustainability by supporting and educating farmers about how to properly grow the highest quality of coffee so that they can support themselves. While not all their coffee is fair trade or sustainable, some of it is.
That being said, the aesthetic design they use works for the target market audience. My impression is that they sell coffee to the middle class, and specifically to the middle-aged population. The logo is pretty approachable for this group because the font is quirky but also sort of sophisticated, but it also has a flair of that “creative funk”. Their color choices in their decor also exemplify that they are down to earth and strive to portray a calm, familiar and collected atmosphere which they created with the various shades of inviting brown in their stores. This color scheme is also a staple of their previous logo. However, their new logo only includes a black and white which I like, and I think is easier and more affordable to print, yet attractive.
New logo 
Old Logo
Peet’s Coffee rebranded sometime within 2017, for the better, in my opinion for the following reasons. They shortened their logo from ‘Peet’s Coffee and Tea’, to just ‘Peet’s Coffee’ which I think is a more approachable and attractive idea. The other logo was wordy and busy due to the number of characters in the logo. People were already familiar with the brand and knew Peet’s has coffee and tea, therefore eliminating the need for a lengthy brand title. By eliminating words in their newly rebranded logo, it creates more focus on Peet’s name, and provides more visible clarity for the way the letters are shaped. Instead of squiggly font, you now see straight edged and simplified font. This change makes a clear and direct visual impact that allows quick and uncomplicated brand recognition.
The font Peet’s uses is called ‘Buckley regular’, and it’s supposed to mimic handwriting. What’s most noticeable about this font is that the letters don’t have a strict baseline, and some letters float above others (like they do in actual handwriting). In their updated logo, they still use the same font, but the lines are smooth and not squiggly anymore which in my opinion is a major improvement because it adds a lot of clarity, cleanliness, and overall aesthetic appeal. I might be a bit bothered by the way the letters sit at different heights, because I want to see them sit at a straight baseline, but I recognize this aspect gives them a playful and non-serious affect of individuality and uniqueness. I wonder if keeping it that way was a purposeful choice, or if they just liked the way the original font was kerned? I assume it has to do with brand recognition. I appreciate that they chose to keep the same typeface because a lot of companies are recreating their style so much so that their entire identity isn’t recognizable to their client base.
In addition, Peet’s includes a little capital ‘P’ emblem in their logo off to the side or on top which makes it feel like the logo isn’t complete without the emblem and vice versa. I liked that they simplify their logo this way and keep the P in the same place on top. However, in one of their iterations it appears on the top because it helps the eye move vertically and requires less work visually. Although I like the simplicity of the new ‘P’, the old ‘P’ emblem had more interesting lines on the inside of it, whereas this new ‘P’ reminds me of an outside patio table made from black, wrought iron mesh, but I appreciate the uncomplicated coherence that the new lines bring. I’m also very pleased that they got rid of the background, it was too bulky, busy and had too many elements for a logo.
Peet’s rebrand is simple yet classy and is reminiscent of their old logo by keeping the original font but cleaning it up, and making the lines smoother overall, which is just plain good design that I appreciate. I also recognize that removing the giant border was necessary in order to clean up the design that previously caused Peet’s name to get lost in its business. It will be interesting to see the next evolution of Peet’s design, because I feel like it potentially be trend out, but what they have here really works to capture brand recognition in a simplified and dignified way.
