Starbucks (Concept Project – Business & Marketing Course, Seneca Polytechnic)
Brand Strategy · Visual Identity · App UX/UI · Community Engagement Campaign
Coffee Talk: Where Conversations Brew Communities
"Coffee Talk" is a campaign and app concept I created to reframe the role of Starbucks from a coffee vendor into a cultural connector. Drawing on the historic legacy of coffeehouses as places of debate, trade, and cross-cultural conversation, the project reimagines today’s café as a digital-physical hub for modern human connection.
The idea was born from a simple insight: we often solve life’s toughest problems over coffee—through conversation. Whether you're a newcomer, a neighbor, or a regular, the app gently encourages connection by creating micro-moments for talking, listening, and networking. It's about giving Starbucks back its human pulse—a shift from transactional service to meaningful interaction.
I led every stage: crafting the creative brief, identifying user pain points, and developing a visual system that feels both friendly and familiar. This campaign softens the brand’s corporate edge and restores Starbucks’ role as a place to belong.
Historically, coffee shops were melting pots of ideas, especially in Italy where merchants, thinkers, and artists gathered. They weren’t just places to drink—they were where futures were negotiated and cultures exchanged. "Coffee Talk" reawakens that spirit.
In today’s urban environment—especially in cities like Toronto—coffee houses are full of people who never speak to each other. This campaign bridges that silence by building a strategic platform for real-world dialogue, sparking community bonds with the help of a screen rather than in spite of it.
"One person, one cup, and one neighborhood at a time."
Let’s talk it out—your next connection might be sitting beside you.Starbucks becomes a living neighborhood—a place to connect over ideas, not just drinks. Conversations lead to community, and every community makes the brand stronger.
To create a Starbucks experience that goes beyond caffeine—by embedding social value in the brand and fostering emotional loyalty through meaningful interaction. The app encourages a culture of openness, one casual conversation at a time.
Modern café culture has grown isolated and screen-absorbed. Despite being full of people, Starbucks locations often feel quiet, rushed, or transactional. This project reverses that trend, inviting people to look up, reach out, and be part of something more connected.
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Built a community-focused strategy with historical depth and modern relevance.
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Created the full visual identity and storytelling for the campaign (app, city visuals, posters, digital rollouts).
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Translated an abstract emotional idea into a tangible UX/UI concept and marketing structure.
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Managed a full project team, driving the concept from brief to branded visuals.
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Anticipated real industry shifts—mirroring the tone and strategy later seen in Leo Burnett Canada’s campaigns. It made me feel like I had the same thoughts, so I won before one of the leading companies used the same strategy patterns and built a campaign.
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Proposed flexible, multi-platform executions adaptable for digital and physical locations.
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Social silence and disconnection in Starbucks cafés
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Lack of brand emotionality and community presence
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Repetitive, impersonal brand experience
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Under-leveraged space for meaningful interaction
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