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InspirationGraphic Design

Cutting-edge branding for São Paulo coffee bar Beluga SP

Beluga São Paulo proudly carries the city's name as part of its own and has opened in its old centre at a time of significant revitalisation – comparable to the last decade in the inner districts of many European cities, the previously abandoned old financial district is re-emerging as a surprising cultural hub.

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Two customers order at Beluga SP's counter beneath menu boards listing drink options for Belém, São Paulo and Setra e Sérrado regions, with clear glasses displayed on a wooden shelf above

The design agency responsible for the branding is Casa Rex, with offices in São Paulo and London. In inspiration not only from Beluga's own links with São Paulo, and the current revitalisation of its centre, but also the historical links to both coffee and the city share – São Paulo having become the metropolis it is today due to rapid expansion in the 19th century fuelled by coffee commerce – Casa Rex has provided a visual identity which pays homage to the city 'built on coffee', with an unique contemporary representation of their own.

Gustavo Piqueira, Creative Director and author of the illustrations told us, "Any city is much more than its constructed landscape, and we sought out to capture the essence in all of São Paulo's contemporary nuances – dark and chaotic, but also lively and spirited."

"The identity presents a combination of extremes, from soft pastel colours and minimal type, to a series of complex illustrations formed from the mash up of various visual assets, and vigorous hand-made brushstrokes, textures of varied surfaces, to fragments of photographs taken of day to day life in São Paulo – all pieced together into a subjective graphic synthesis of the city."

The visual identity was applied across varied applications, from the shop facade, to menu boards, stationary, postcards, posters and packaging for the shop's own line of coffee beans.

Via direct submission

Beluga Café São Paulo signage on a café window with warm pendant lighting visible inside
Beluga SP coffee bags with black abstract illustrations designed by Casa Rex displayed on a wooden shelf alongside ceramic vessels
Overhead view of two white cups of coffee on a yellow wooden surface with a notepad displaying abstract black brushstrokes and illustrations between them
Beluga SP menu printed on peach-coloured paper and clipped with two black binder clips, displaying sections for Cafés, Doces, Pratos and Bebidas
Assorted baked goods with labels displayed on a wooden surface, including waffle, pão italiano and croissant
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