Joe Van Gough
Inspired by Joe Van Gogh’s commitment to inclusivity, good company, and great coffee, I created spec work that celebrates their vibrant brand identity. The “Start Your Day in Color” and “Coffee Break” campaigns blend product photography, AI-generated imagery, and graphic design to bring their welcoming, art-forward spirit to life.
As a coffee lover (obviously) and fan of coffee shop aesthetics, I knew I wanted to explore branding in this space. While browsing Rosewood Market, Joe Van Gogh’s colorful packaging and artistic vibe immediately stood out. I brought the beans, packaging, and coffee into the studio and began photographing a variety of setups.
Once I moved into the graphic design phase, I realized some compositions I envisioned couldn’t be achieved with my original shoot alone. So, I pivoted, using Adobe Firefly to generate supplemental imagery. I then brought those AI images into Lightroom and edited them to match the tone and lighting of my studio shots, ensuring a cohesive look across the campaign.
This project gave me the opportunity to sharpen my studio photography skills, experiment with AI tools, and practice adapting creatively when things don’t go according to plan. I shared the final graphics on social media with Joe Van Gogh as a nod to their inspiring brand.
MY CREATIVE PROCESS
MY CREATIVE PROCESS
Product Shots
After discovering Joe Van Gough, I brought their coffee beans and coffee into the studio with my partner Olivia. We shot a variety of angles and created movement in the shots with falling beans and picking up the cup. After successfully shooting what we wanted (and not spilling any coffee), I brought them into lightroom and edited the photos to bring out the warm colors.
Ai generation
As I began designing my graphics in Illustrator, I realized that I hadn’t shot every composition style I wanted. For example, I wanted a shot of coffee cups clinking together and hot coffee from above. Finally, I wanted a rainbow coffee splash to connect to the top of my coffee shot. I used Adobe Firefly to generate these images for me. Then, I pulled them in to Lightroom to match the editing style with my product shots so that the campaign would feel like one cohesive shoot. Finally, I cut out these elements in photoshop so that I could add them to my graphics.
Putting it all together
Finally, I put my graphics together in Adobe Illustrator and shared them on social media, tagging Joe Van Gough to show them my take on their unique brand. These graphics could be run as social media ads on Instagram and Facebook, or printed to use as posters.