I first connected with R&Beans Coffee Shop at the very beginning of my freelance journey, approaching the team with exploratory branding concepts to introduce my work and creative direction. These early designs were speculative and created independently to demonstrate how their brand could expand visually.

Months later, the owners reached back out after revisiting the concepts and selected one of the logo designs for use on their coffee cups. That mark became the first paid branding work of my freelance career and is featured here as the official commissioned piece.

The additional designs shown alongside it represent the broader exploratory process that helped open the door to that opportunity. Together, they reflect the value of proactive outreach, speculative thinking, and trusting your creative instincts when building relationships early on.