This New York Favorite Has a Simple Yet Effective Look

by Natalie Mouradian on 12/06/2017 | 4 Minute Read

Eric Junker designed the simple yet effective packaging for Jack’s Stir Brew Coffee.

“Born in Greenwich Village in 2003 by Jack Mazzola, Jack’s Stir Brew is NYC’s original exclusively organic specialty coffee shop famous for their neighborhood vibe. Jack’s also happens to make the best cup of coffee in town, thanks their patented Stir Brew method. More than a great coffee shop, Jack’s embraces a community-centric culture where high quality ingredients, sustainable practices and exceptional customer service are part of the DNA.”

“For the package design it was important to capture the timeless, neighborhood feel of the Jack's in-store experience. Nostalgia... Old New York … Intuitively, Jack designed the original logo with a Raymond Loewy inspired simplicity that perfectly capture this feeling. After attending a branding seminar in California taught by designer Eric Junker, he invited Mr. Junker to collaborate on refining his vision for Jack's.

’The can was my first collaboration with Jack,’ says package designer Eric Junker. ‘We share a passion for classic design and elegant simplicity. No flashy bells and whistles. No photoshop effects. We put our initial can mock-ups on the shelf at Whole Foods next to the other coffees, and it quickly became obvious that the less 'designing' we did, the more the package stood out on the shelves.’ Junker intentionally used the font Trade Gothic as the primary font because, ‘it's the most ego-free font I can think of. It's a little bit awkward in its rigidity, which makes it one of the few digital fonts that captures the feeling of letterpress. I like to say that it's radically under-designed. I like that.’”

“Why the can? In Jack's words, ‘The can takes me back to my childhood.’

‘I remember my grandmother opening her coffee can with a can opener, my grandfather’s tool shed lined with coffee cans that my grandmother would keep for him. Each can stored specific nuts or bolts, organized in his own meticulous way that was full of life and color."

“Junker says, ‘Once completed, the can design served as a point of departure for the redesign of much of the Jack's experience. The cups, the coffee bags (which are filled with fresh beans in-store), cold pour bottles, the merchandise, and the signage were all redesigned with a 'less is more' philosophy. It invites you into the Jack's experience, but let's the quality of the coffee speak for itself.’”