Roam brand & website case study
Project: Brand & Website for Napier's new cafe Roam Marine Parade
The Client
Some clients you just know are going to keep doing exciting things — and Brad from ROAM is absolutely one of them.
I first met Brad a couple of years ago when he launched ROAM, offering grazing box and private chef experiences. His original brief was epically fun — hand-drawn fonts, a fish, a piece of cheese, a carrot. The kind of brief that makes a designer very happy indeed.
Then late last year, Brad called with news that surprised absolutely no one who's ever tasted his food: he was expanding. A café was opening. And it was going to be gorgeous.
The Challenge
This wasn't a start-from-scratch rebrand — it was something more nuanced than that. ROAM had an existing identity with real personality and brand equity worth keeping. The challenge was evolving it to carry a growing business without losing the charm that made it feel like ROAM in the first place.
The new brand needed to:
Honour the original identity while expanding it to fit a café, an online shop, and a growing suite of services
Reflect the heritage of the location — one of Napier's iconic six sister buildings along Marine Parade
Retain the warmth, fun, and foodie personality that had already built Brad a loyal following
Work hard across a full range of touchpoints — digital, print, in-café, and everything in between
The Approach
We started with what already worked — and built thoughtfully from there.
Together we worked through:
Who ROAM's clients are — food lovers who appreciate quality, creativity, and an experience that feels special whether they're ordering a grazing box, booking a private chef, or pulling up a chair in the café
What makes ROAM different — Brad's genuine passion, his incredible food, and the sense of joy and occasion he brings to every single offering
What the evolved brand needed to communicate — the same fun, characterful energy of the original, now grown up enough to hold a café, a heritage building, and an expanding business
Then we got to work on the visual identity:
A refined version of the original logo — retaining the beloved hand-drawn font while evolving the mark to reflect the full ROAM experience
The iconic Marine Parade building as the hero image — a nod to the heritage of the location and a proud statement of where ROAM had arrived
A fresh colour palette that felt new while staying true to the ROAM personality
New brand elements — including a cheeky little gherkin illustration, because of course 😉
An expanded collection of foodie illustrations used across the website, paper tissue, packaging, and more
Stunning café photography by the talented Suzy from SG Editorials — capturing the space, the team, and the food in all their glory
The Solution
With the brand refreshed and expanded, we turned our attention to the ROAM website — rebuilding it on the Rocketspark platform to reflect everything the business had become.
That meant getting intentional about:
Visual brand consistency throughout — so the website feels like a seamless extension of the in-café experience
Clear showcasing of the café, location, and menu — making it immediately easy to understand what ROAM offers and where to find them
Prominent space for the grazing box and private chef services — ensuring the original offering wasn't lost in the excitement of the new
A smooth online shopping experience — so customers can order with ease from wherever they are
Improved SEO — making sure people searching in Napier and Hawke's Bay can actually find them
The Results
ROAM now has a brand and website that reflects every delicious thing Brad has built — from the original grazing boxes to the new café in one of Napier's most iconic buildings.
The personality is still there. The fun is still there. The cheese, the fish, the carrot — and now a gherkin. But it's all grown up, cohesive, and ready for whatever Brad does next. (And knowing Brad, there will absolutely be a next thing. 😄)
If you're in Napier — go. Immediately. You're welcome.
Check out the ROAM website here.
Café photography by Suzy, SG Editorials.
Kind words from the client
"Kelly has been a big part of the look and feel of Roam from day one. She has done brand work and more recently created my website. I find Kelly extremely great to work with. She is friendly, professional and prompt. Kelly has been able to really understand how I've wanted my business to come across and has been able to translate my thoughts into reality!"
Brad Simpson, Roam, Napier
Ready to work together?
Ready to dive in? Book a free 20min discovery call and we'll talk through your goals and get the ball rolling!
Not sure what you need? Start with a Brand Audit, we'll figure out exactly what's holding your brand back and what needs to happen next.
Based in Kihikihi, Te Awamutu, working with ambitious growing businesses across New Zealand.
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A Waikato graphic design studio helping New Zealand businesses show up with confidence and attract the right clients through strategic branding & websites.
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kelly@creativebox.co.nz
0272468761
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