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InspirationGraphic Design

&Walsh's identity for Zooba is inspired by the colourful streets of Cairo

&Walsh, the agency set up earlier this year by designer Jessica Walsh, has revealed its identity for Zooba, an Egyptian street food restaurant based in Cairo.

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All images courtesy of &Walsh.

All images courtesy of &Walsh.

With the opening of its first store in New York, it approached &Walsh to create its new brand in America. Walsh told us that they went to Cairo to meet Zooba's team: "We were inspired by the "beauty of the layered visuals we saw on the streets: the hand-painted typography on foul carts, geometric patterned tapes, mix and matched coloured tiles, posters, and painted illustrations on walls."

This inspiration informs much of the identity. Bright colours, geometric patterns, Egyptian influences and a bold custom type that came from a collaboration with Cairo-based calligraphy artist Mohamed Mohamed.

&Walsh layered this type with modern versions of patterns and illustrations inspired by the streets of Cairo. "Just like their food is a modern twist on traditional classics, we aimed to do this with the visual language," adds &Walsh.

The actual space was designed by Egyptian born and award-winning architect Ahmed El Husseiny of AE SuperLab in Brooklyn. Together with &Walsh, they worked on the interior, taking Cairo’s street style and giving it a modern flair. This includes Egyptian street food cart-inspired lettering, a crazy kitschy LED light panel ceiling, traditional Cairo street cafe wooden chairs and a huge, not-to-be-missed mural on the restaurant’s Kenmare storefront, making it a neighbourhood feature.

Two Zooba branded cups in red and blue with Arabic calligraphy and geometric patterns inspired by Cairo street art, set against a dark blue background
Three Zooba packaging boxes in varying sizes, featuring bold geometric patterns and vibrant green, blue and red colours inspired by Cairo's streets
Green and white striped shirt featuring a HEY NYC patch and colorful geometric graphic patches inspired by Cairo street art
Two wrapped Zooba burger packages with red and green circular labels against a tan background, displaying the spicy Taameya and Beef Liver flavours
Blue poster for Zooba with "Not Falafel" text and a photo of a shawarma sandwich on a yellow star-shaped background, featuring red and geometric patterns
Zooba restaurant menus with red and pink borders and colourful geometric patterned design elements on a bright yellow background
Red Zooba shopping bag with Arabic calligraphy and geometric patterned border on pink background
Zooba restaurant branding on green corrugated metal featuring blue and yellow panels with illustrated pink plates of food and bold typography in English and Arabic script
Zooba logotype in bold black letters with decorative diamond shapes above the double O characters on a light grey background
Colourful geometric mural with stars and diamonds in red, blue, green, yellow and pink on a dark background, part of Zooba's branding inspired by Cairo street art
Multiple printed pages of Zooba branding materials featuring bold typography, geometric patterns and illustrations inspired by Cairo's streets, arranged on a tan background
Large billboard displaying Zooba's black and colourful identity with geometric patterns and custom typography inspired by Cairo's streets
Green napkin with yellow geometric border and text reading "Hey, you've got tahina on your shirt" with Zooba branding, stacked with other napkins featuring pink and purple accents
Geometric street signage with pink and green sections displaying "Egyptian street food served daily 11→10" next to a bright blue door
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