443935
443935
443935
443935
443935
443935
As the Immersion team was still in the process of curating a new digital identity, Birtan wanted us to step in with visually reinventing the brand. Tasked with designing the home page, I began by analyzing the current website.
Following a major rebrand and expansion of storefronts in San Diego, Immersion Coffee entered a new chapter of serving coffee.
Immersion was in need of a new website that could reflect their personalized experience of making coffee, while preserving its image of rich and well-crafted drinks.
Rebranded homepage that reflects Immersion Coffee’s smooth and refined brand identity
Created a sensory-inspired aesthetic style guide from scratch
Elevated brand presence through digital-physical storefront harmony
Overview
Outcomes (TLDR Version)
HMW Statement · Clarifying our vision for the new website
How might we craft a digital brand identity that mirrors the quality and calm of Immersion’s storefront, ensuring the website feels like walking into the cafe itself?
Context
When Manivela Coffee expanded from a mobile coffee truck to a multi-location chain, they saw the opportunity for a brand refresh as well. Birtan, the founder, envisioned his cafe as the “fine dining of coffee,” one that emphasizes craft and intention. The reimagined name, “Immersion Coffee,” reflected the “stay and savor” philosophy he wanted their new storefront locations to reflect.
Let’s dive in
Immersion Coffee
Reimagining a Digital Storefront for Immersion Coffee
A popular San Diego coffee chain undergoing a massive rebranding
ROLE
Visual Designer
Team: 3 Designers, 2 Devs
TIMELINE
March - August 2025
SKILLS
UI Design, Information Architecture
TOOLS
Figma, Pinterest
Old Website · Difficult to navigate and inconsistent styling!
Design Principles · Translating Birtan’s expectations into goals
Let the pictures of the coffee speak for themselves → intentional space, minimal text
01 Strong Imagery
02 Simplify the Content Experience
Make the scroll experience tell the user everything they need to know about Immersion.
03 Storytelling
Make information easily digestible, with visuals that align with text.
Research Insights · Outdated information and blockages with current website
Layout is not intuitive, with varying font sizes and awkward spaces
WEBSITE AUDIT
Huge emphasis on having a distinctive and cohesive visual brand
COMPETITOR ANALYSIS
At this point, I discussed with the other designers to define the direction of the homepage. While we agreed to anchor Immersion’s coffee photos as the website’s backdrop for full immersion and shades of brown Birtan had requested, something still felt incomplete.
To better internalize what Immersion was about, my team and I visited their storefront locations in person.
Design Principles · Getting inspiration in-person!
Clean and minimalistic space
Wood texture & colors inspired by Japanese aesthetics
Some notes I scribbled while Birtan was sharing his inspiration for Immersion and its creation
Visiting the La Jolla location
Talking to Birtan face-to-face and hearing about his story behind opening Immersion was incredibly heartfelt and eye-opening. Experiencing the space firsthand allowed me to note subtleties that weren’t captured in previous design meeting notes. I returned with a grounded understanding of the physical space that later empowered my design decisions.
New Home Page Sections · Features and Implementations
Clearly stated storefront locations and Electric
Truck Schedule
Simplified Content
Using coffee imagery to guide users through Immersion’s story
Storytelling
Strong Imagery
A bold welcome paired with Immersion’s most popular drinks
Storytelling
Strong Imagery
Overlay text blocks for pictures
Simplified Content
Storytelling
The stars indicate the elements I wanted to incorporate!
01 Imagery + 03 Storytelling · Brainstorming the visual design of the website
Final Product · A scroll through the new home page
To Wrap it Up
Reflections · One of my favorite projects I’ve worked on
This was project was especially meaningful to me because I got to work on a product I’m passionate about! As someone who brews coffee as part of her morning ritual, I enjoyed hearing the story behind why the founder created Immersion and ultimately help him create a digital storefront that reflected his passion for coffee.
One of my biggest takeaways is the power of acquiring information straight from the source. Visiting Immersion’s cafes and speaking with Birtain helped me understand the brand essence more deeply, informing me of how to design the tone and nuances of the website.
I also took some photos for Immersion’s Instagram and website!
Designed with the help of many coffees
Ann Yang