first drafts
I was initially inspired by Japanese kissatens, these darling, swanky, dimly-lit, hazy showa parlours where ojisans sip on dark roast coffee while sifting through the morning papers.
You could often find these glamorous Art Deco design styles on their pamphlets, postcards and matchboxes.
I particularly liked their vibrant yet aged colours, the ink bleed that honours printwork, and the angular Japanese typography.
But the owner wanted something a little bit more modern and less old-timey. So I tried on a fresher approach towards the typefaces, while keeping the secondary graphics classic. And this was what I had...
the chosen logo
I think we all agreed on this logo collectively. It had a good balance to it and fit what the owner had envisioned.
For the typeface, I chose something that had clean lines that exuded calmness. I like that the head serifs were angular and straight, giving it a sleek look and easing off the candid friendliness of the round bowls and teardrop terminals. A little tiny detail I added was to conform the descender and the foot serif of the “q” to fit the counter of the “o” below it.
I also thought it would be cool to have everything in lowercase, reflecting the word “quiet” and giving it a more casual look and feel. This lowercase treatment is also applied to socials and menu designs.
menu designs
The cafe had a lot of drinks to put out. My job was to make the menu as simple to understand as possible, figuring out ways to display the hot and cold drinks versus the multiple price points.
I also had the task of printing the menus and had fun experimenting with different papers, the feel of the gsm in your hand, the texture of the sheet...