After the Corner Bakery Cafe brand was established in Chicago and began a successful expansion, it was only a matter of time before they considered a rebranding, not a complete do-over, but a comprehensive polishing of the entire brand as they stretched out their reach. In 2006, they brought on board BrandCory, who stripped the brand down, but renovated it with custom molding and fancy hardware. BrandCory describes the relationship with the cafe as an attempt to “rebrand the entire cafe experience.” I think BrandCory’s best move was done before they even began putting anything to paper and screen. They took a step back and saw that for Corner Bakery Cafe to go where they want to go, they’d need to scrub the entire brand. They performed an exhaustive job giving the brand an extensive structure with emphasis placed on everything from the visual identity systems to the apparel and on through to the photo library. The work is well done and it captures the spirit of the brand: a city cafe with elements to make guests feel at home.
