There has always been a part of me wanting to somehow leave my creative mark on my home of Cambridge. I used this urge and for my first final year project I designed a complete reband for CJ's Vintage Store.
I approached Cam, the owner of an independent vintage clothing store in the heart of Cambridge in the summer of 2022 offering to work with him. I suggested designing and launching a full rebrand in time for Christmas, he was on board.
The brief was extremely open, the only criteria Cam asked was to keep the name CJ's Vintage Store and to still incorporate the original blue and orange which had already gained an association with the original CJ's brand which I'll provide below.
A before and after of the shop front.
I had decided to base the visual identity off stickers. Stickers are a huge part of both streetwear and skateboarding culture, both of which massively influenced CJ's. Designing a simplistic logo along with a unique typeface was crucial to be able to design e a range of dynamic branding components.
An important value of CJ's was sustainability, choosing to shop vintage is of course better for the planet than buying into fast fashion. I created a new slogan for the business "Uniquely Sustainable". Every item of clothing is totally unique, hand picked and sustainable.
I was striving to give CJ's a new vintage look whilst also keeping it contemporary. To not stray too far away from the DIY independent business vibe whilst also appearing as an established business.
Stickers are now being given out in bags with their purchased item. I wanted to make sure they were implemented correctly in the brand to add more of a unique, customisable side of CJ's. The intention of the designs was so they would hopefully end up on laptops, water bottles, lamp posts, anywhere which could build the reach of CJ's.
The relationship between myself and Cam is now cemented and CJ's Vintage Store is still only young. This will be a project which continues to grow indefinitely into the future.
