Interior of a modern coffee shop with a curved counter where two people are preparing drinks. The decor includes white walls, hanging pendant lights, and a grid wall with plants and supplies. There is a sign on the counter that says 'Order Here' and a black and pink table with a dotted pattern.
A computer monitor displaying the homepage of Kajnos, a coffee subscription service, with a colorful coffee bag in the foreground against a pink background.

Case Study: Kainos Coffee

Brand Identity, Mural Design, Packaging, Interior Aesthetic, Website & Merch

Client Location: Portland, Oregon

Kainos Coffee began as a small, DIY-branded coffee truck in the saturated artisan coffee market of Portland, Oregon. Despite roasting their own beans and offering exceptional quality, the business struggled to gain traction. On some days, their revenue was as low as $8 for 8 hours of work. The brand blended into the visual noise of the Portland coffee scene—natural wood tones, black-and-white palettes, and leafy minimalism. It was time to do the opposite.

After implementing my strategic designs, Kainos gained global attention. From being featured on VICE and Travel Channel, to the shelves of Whole foods and a social media sensation… they finally got the attention they deserved.

Want to see more? Keep scrolling!

Interior of a modern cafe featuring a colorful geometric mural on the wall, a counter with baristas, and customers seated at tables.

My Role & Responsibilities

  • Full brand identity redesign

  • Strategic visual direction

  • Hand-painted mural design + execution (1,000+ sq ft)

  • Mid-century modern interior styling

  • Signage and menu design

  • Shopify website design and build

  • Coffee packaging and merch design

  • Marketing strategy for user-generated content (UGC)

Three white disposable coffee cups with white lids, each labeled with the word 'Kai' in black cursive, set against a pink background.

Strategy

Objective: Create a visually iconic and strategically differentiated brand experience that drives foot traffic, increases brand awareness, and supports retail expansion.

When Kainos moved into their first brick-and-mortar space, I knew we had a unique opportunity. Portland's coffee culture is deeply visual—cafes are treated as Instagram backdrops as much as caffeine dispensaries. While the market leaned toward Scandinavian-inspired restraint, I looked to the bold and graphic language of the Memphis art movement.

Why Memphis?

  • It was trending quietly on Pinterest and gaining momentum in design circles

  • Its high-contrast, graphic style would photograph well on social media

  • It allowed us to create a space people would talk about, photograph, and remember

Execution

The Mural: I hand-painted a Memphis-inspired mural spanning over 1,000 square feet inside the café. It became an immediate photo magnet. Instagrammers began tagging the location, creating a steady stream of organic UGC that doubled as advertising.

Interior Aesthetic: While the mural was bold, the rest of the space paid homage to Portland’s love for mid-century minimalism. The balance between eccentric and elevated created a dynamic, welcoming, and design-forward customer experience.

Collateral:

  • Custom hand-lettered signage

  • Print menus & wall menus

  • Branded merch: hats, t-shirts, enamel pins, backpacks

  • Packaging design for retail coffee bags, featuring mural-inspired patterns

  • Product Photography

  • Advertisement design

  • Videography

  • Content Creation

Results

  • Kainos went from $8/day to lines out the door

  • Alaskan Airlines booked the café as a set for a national ad campaign

  • Press coverage: VICE, Portland Monthly, Travel Channel, and more

  • Whole Foods picked up Kainos products for retail distribution

  • Viral UGC moment: a California café copied our mural exactly—leading to public backlash and an unexpected spike in visibility and customer loyalty

  • Kainos partnered with Rocket Espresso and began competing internationally in coffee competitions

Long-Term Impact

The success of the original brick-and-mortar led to expansion into multiple locations, all of which I continued to design. Each space featured:

  • Bespoke murals

  • Cohesive packaging systems

  • Updated Shopify website

  • New merchandise collections

Kainos is now recognized as one of Portland’s most design-forward cafés—not just a destination for great coffee, but a case study in how aesthetic strategy can drive cultural relevance and business growth.

Tools Used

  • Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop, Lightroom, InDesign, Rush, Premier

  • Canva Pro

  • Shopify

  • Squarespace

  • Monday.com (File organization, Project Management)

  • CoSchedule (Social Media Planning)

  • Procreate (mural planning)

  • Paint, brushes, scaffolding — lots of it

Takeaway

Kainos wasn’t a rebrand—it was a repositioning. This project exemplifies how thoughtful design paired with strategic cultural insight can turn a struggling local business into a nationally recognized brand.

Interested in building a brand experience this unforgettable? Let’s talk.

Before

Coffee bags labeled 'Kainos' and bottles labeled 'Cold Brew' inside a coffee cart.

After

Colorful snack and coffee packaging with geometric patterns, one labeled 'Kainos' and the other with text 'Coffee that gives back' against a pink background.

Before

A small coffee stand shaped like a boat with a sign reading 'COFFEE' in front of a colorful building, with an umbrella and picnic table nearby.

After

Modern cafe with a white tiled wall, colorful geometric mural, yellow pendant lights, and a pizza oven.

Handpainted Murals

Interior of a coffee shop with a white wall featuring a black mural that says 'coffee that gives back' in stylized lettering. There are hanging light fixtures and a neon sign of a coffee cup on a black grid wall.
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Black and white illustration of a coffee cup surrounded by colorful abstract shapes and floral patterns. The cup has text that reads, 'Life Happens, the Dalles, Kainos Coffee, Oregon, Coffee Helps'.
Colorful geometric mural with triangles in pink, yellow, black, white, and turquoise, with various patterns, in a modern cafe or dining area with wooden tables and wireframe chairs.
A black stand with a pink sign that says 'Order Here' in front of a modern cafe interior.

Interior Design

Modern, colorful coffee shop with a curved white counter, two baristas, and a decorative wall with shelves of plants and items. An 'Order Here' sign is on a small counter in the foreground.
Open kitchen shelving unit with cookware, books, and kitchen tools against a white tiled wall with black grid lines.
Neon signs with the words 'Open' and 'Coffee' inside a coffee shop, with plants and a window showing a person outside smiling.
A beige sofa with pillows and a small round wooden side table with a mug on it, against a plain white wall, on a black floor.
A corner of a café with a pink, black, white, light blue, and yellow geometric mural on the wall, a wooden table with a cup of coffee and a plate of small pastries, and a white wire chair.

Content Creation / Product Photography

A cup of coffee, three slices of pepperoni pizza, a rectangular toast topped with pink frosting and colorful sprinkles, and three small sandwiches with leafy greens on a white platter, all on a pink surface.
A blue mug filled with hot chocolate on a wooden board, surrounded by cinnamon sticks, star anise, and cardamom, with a spoon and cozy cloths; potted plants and a glass of chocolate drink in the background.
A white ceramic cup of matcha latte with latte art on top, placed on a yellow saucer. Next to it, a gold spoon rests on a pink cloth napkin, with green matcha powder spilled on a light wooden surface and a marble wall in the background.
Smartphone with the logo "Kainos Coffee Roasters" repeatedly displayed in pink on a yellow background.
Person inspecting roasted coffee beans in a wooden roaster.

Brand Design & Web Design

Computer monitor displaying a colorful website for Kainos coffee, with a New Year's greeting and a 3D coffee package design on the screen.
Black sweatshirt with orange dye splatter pattern and a colorful patch with a butterfly and cursive letter 'K' on the pocket, hanging on a rack.
Two colorful coffee bags with geometric patterns, one labeled "Kainos" and the other with the phrase "Coffee that gives back," against a pink background.
Assorted coffee products and packaging from Kainos Coffee Roasters including cans, coffee pods, coffee bags, a coffee cup, and colorful packaging designs.

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