Hot Cakes Molten Chocolate Cakery

Published

February 17, 2014

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Hot Cakes Molten Chocolate Cakery crafts organic, classic American comfort desserts and other original and innovative confections. Founded in 2008 by Autumn Martin, award winning Pastry Chef for Canlis Restaurant and Head Chocolatier for Theo Chocolate, the restaurant is named after its signature product: “take ‘n bake molten chocolate cakes.”

After five years of slowly building up the Hot Cakes brand, Martin found herself in a position to reassess her brand strategy. The company’s maturing status as a premium and well-respected brand in the specialty dessert industry warranted a brand refresh. Built upon her passion for chocolate, her love for the outdoors, and her Northwest roots, the brand presented an environmentally friendly, handcrafted look, tone, and feel – aspects that Martin wanted to carry forward into the next phase of her branding.

As her products and reputation began to expand beyond her local community, Martin partnered with Seattle based agency Creative Retail Packaging (CRP) to help strengthen her brand presence and awareness through her packaging, marketing collateral, and new storefront design.

CRP focused on delivering a full brand architecture system for Hot Cakes that is environmentally friendly and captivating for both existing and future customers. The design system features a consistent “sash” element inspired by the newsboy’s messenger bag from the brand’s original identity. The holding device allows each product line to utilize bold, engaging patterns to differentiate between the brand’s several product lines. In addition, CRP custom designed and produced each structure to better fit her product and client needs. Whether experiencing Hot Cakes’ desserts for the first time in the original Seattle storefront, at a music festival, or on the grocery store shelf, CRP strove to help Hot Cakes deliver on its simple mission, to “be honest, stay true.”