01_ BRAND + EXPERIENCE
Greater Grounds Coffee & Co.
+ The Emblem
Turning customer experience into a competitive advantage—and using it to shape what the brand could become next.
Brand Direction · Creative Strategy · Experience Design · Growth
Wichita, Kansas · 2023–Present
THE BEGINNING >
There was a
business plan.
There wasn't a brand.
When I met founder Byron, Greater Grounds existed as an idea: a coffee shop rooted in his love of music. He had worked through the economics and was pursuing a lease, but the brand, story, environment and customer experience had yet to be defined.
I saw the opportunity to build something people would choose, remember and want to belong to—drawing from Byron's personality, his love of music and the character of Wichita's historic downtown.
The question wasn't simply what should this coffee shop look like? It was what should people feel here—and what could Greater Grounds become known for?
THE CREATIVE DIRECTION >
Build a world. Not just a coffee shop.
01_GIVE IT A POINT OF VIEW >
Brand & Interior Design
Greater Grounds needed an identity people could recognize and feel—not simply a logo. I shaped the brand around warmth, discovery, music, history and a sense of belonging, creating a creative filter for everything that followed.
02_MAKE THE SPACE PART OF THE BRAND >
Experience
The environment became one of our strongest tools for differentiation. I developed the interior direction around the character of the historic building—layering old and new, intimate seating, greenery, lighting, materials and unexpected details to make the space feel collected rather than designed all at once.
03 — TURN THE EXPERIENCE INTO
AN ENGINE FOR GROWTH >
Concept to Revenue
MORE REASONS TO VISIT →
LONGER STAYS →
MORE TO SHARE →
MORE WAYS TO SPEND →
STRONGER LOYALTY
I connected creative decisions to commercial opportunity—using the environment, products, events and brand moments to create more reasons to visit, stay, return, share and spend. The goal wasn't simply to make Greater Grounds memorable. It was to make what made it memorable valuable to the business.
THE RESPONSE
People didn't just come for coffee.
They joined a community.
01
A DESTINATION
Customers began choosing Greater Grounds itself as the setting for engagements, weddings, celebrations and content of their own.
02
A PLACE TO BELONG
People didn't just stop in. They stayed, gathered, worked and connected—turning the space into the kind of community destination it was designed to become.
03
EXPERIENCE TO ASSET
The brand began creating opportunities beyond daily coffee sales—from private events and special programming to mobile experiences, partnerships and new revenue streams.
04
NATIONAL ATTENTION
Greater Grounds was selected as a Wichita stop during a national tour by U.S. Small Business Administration leadership—bringing the business recognition beyond the local coffee scene.
WHAT CAME NEXT >
**Success created a different question.
How far could the brand go?
Greater Grounds had developed something worth protecting: a recognizable point of view,
a loyal community and an experience people actively sought out.
So when an opportunity emerged to expand into a new downtown location,
I didn't want to simply recreate Greater Grounds somewhere else.
I saw the opportunity to evolve the strongest parts of the brand into something entirely new.
THE CONCEPT >
The Emblem
Don't duplicate the original. Elevate what made it matter.
The Emblem was conceived as Greater Grounds' premium expression—a more elevated, intimate hospitality concept designed for a new audience, new occasions and new revenue opportunities while preserving the warmth and sense of belonging at the heart of the original brand.
Brand Direction · Creative Strategy · Experience Design · Growth
Wichita, Kansas · 2026–Present
THE CONSTRAINT BECAME THE STATEGY >
A small footprint and limited parking meant The Emblem needed to earn differently.
I built the concept around three levers: higher perceived value, stronger customer frequency and greater revenue potential from every square foot.
01
ELEVATE THE EXPERIENCE
MAKE PREMIUM WORTH PAYING FOR.
With a smaller footprint and limited parking, The Emblem couldn't depend on volume alone. I designed the concept to compete on experience and perceived value instead—taking the atmosphere people already loved about Greater Grounds and elevating it into something more transportive, distinctive and premium.
The environment wasn't simply meant to look more expensive. It was designed to make the entire experience feel worth more—supporting higher pricing while giving people a reason to seek out the destination despite its limitations.
02
BUILD REASONS TO RETURN
TURN OCCASIONAL VISITS INTO RITUAL.
The experience was designed around ritual and belonging: rotating specialty drinks, monthly Reveal events, coffee club membership, workplace delivery and hospitality touches that give customers reasons to build The Emblem into their routine.
All the while the experience feels special and out of the ordinary, even through the exlusive small events like rehearsal dinners or bridal showers to be held in the beautiful space.
03
MAKE THE SPACE EARN MORE
CREATE MORE THAN ONE REVENUE MODEL
The Emblem needed to generate more value from every square foot, not just sell more coffee. I designed the concept to shift with the day—from streamlined café service and workplace delivery to memberships, corporate use, private events and evening programming.
Flexible furnishings allow the environment to transform for different uses, while the elevated experience gives those uses greater value. The result is one small footprint designed to support multiple revenue streams without compromising the brand experience that makes people want to be there.