In 2017, Atomic celebrated its 25th birthday and wanted an edgy, fun brand campaign to mark a quarter-century in business and increase sales at the same time.

Being a seasonal campaign, this was a chance to do something different and break the usual rules of the brand – engaging existing fans through nostalgia while growing Atomic’s audience.

We created a series series of illustrated logos and coffee puns that could be easily translated across a range of collateral, including Atomic’s caravan and apparel such as T-shirts, badges and caps.

To create hype, the images and associated messages were deliberately bold and provocative. The black and white colour scheme was visually compelling and the illustrations were inspired by stick and poke tattoo flash sheets. The nostalgic, retro tone was designed to speak to Atomic’s original target audience but still appeal to today’s youth and prompt them to get involved.

We used light humour (e.g. ‘Save water, drink coffee’) to soften the campaign’s tone, while inspiring people to talk about the cups and share on social media. The different images also formed a series of 12 different designs, encouraging customers to collect the set. ­­

As a result of the campaign, the cup, the cups sold out after Atomic sent more than a million extra cups to retailers – an increase in sales of more than 40%. Atomic’s Instagram followers also doubled during the campaign.