🍒
Chaereen Pak is a Korean-American designer based in Los Angeles who believes that everyone deserves good design.
Her practice is focused on brand identity and creative direction rooted in meticulous research and cultural responsiveness.
“Good design creates space for beauty, dignity, and life to flourish—and we shouldn't think of that as a luxury.”
BRANDS
CAMPAIGNS
PLAY
INFO
PERSIMMON COFFEE
2020-Present
Brand Design
Creative Strategy
Photo & Video
Retail Design
ROLES
Co-Founder
Creative Director
COLLABORATORS
Sawyer Beckley
Leeward Studio
Domenic Frunzi
All Play
Persimmon is an independent coffee roaster based in Philadelphia that is committed to not only delivering quality beans and service, but also providing a safe space for anyone and everyone to be able to access the beauty and ritual of specialty coffee. Persimmon is a brand, a community, and a place of respite that asks you to simply come as you are.
We launched Persimmon on Christmas Day in 2020 as a gift to our loved ones. We began during unprecedented times—while engaged in a fight for our lives amidst a global pandemic and deep racial injustices, we were cooking for friends on the front lines, participating in peaceful protests, and checking up on the elderly in our community. And through it all, we witnessed the power of empathy. So we went into business as an act of remembrance of who we are and what we are capable of. We have faith that Persimmon can make its home city a little bit warmer, a little bit sweeter, and maybe, even a better place.
The fruit and handwriting logos serve as our primary marks and are often paired with each other. I chose to use an organic, hand-drawn style to convey approachability and accentuate our identity as a small business.
It can take up to ten years for a persimmon tree to bear its first fruits—the patience and care that they require, along with the warmth and joy that they provide in the colder months, are why we chose to name ourselves Persimmon. Native to China, persimmons spread to Korea and Japan and ultimately reached California in the mid-1800s. However, they are often overlooked in North America and sometimes mistaken for others that look similar. Thus, inclusivity is central to our identity. We welcome everyone—those who are coffee connoisseurs, those who don't know a thing about coffee; those who may smile and feel a sense of pride when they see the word persimmon, those who have no idea what a persimmon is.
Our third mark is 柿, the Chinese character for persimmon. Chinese characters form the foundation of both the Korean and Japanese writing systems, so I felt that this character would be the most suited to represent both the fruit’s origin and its significance to our brand.
The character is enclosed in a square, which is a form reminiscent of East Asian seals. Delicate brush strokes depict the character as two people holding hands together—a nod to East Asian calligraphy, as well as our dedication to the people who enjoy our coffee and step into our space every day.