Cafe Semiotics & Brand World for Kaapi & Co.

Collaborative sessions with the founder, and endless discussions over cups of coffee from this cafe, was the perfect setting for all brainstorming and visioning for this project.

While we began with a clear objective of creating a contemporary cafe, we felt it was a wide open canvas and there was a need to narrow down and identify the specific kind of contemporary cafe world that we wanted to create. A dipstick research among potential visitors helped us understand the expectations from such a cafe space and also a cafe with such a name. The fact that this was a cafe set in the bustling, characterful town of Kochi, gave us a fertile space to dive in from too.

The Kaapi & Co. project made us study cafes, and the semiotic codes of cafe spaces, and identify the various kinds of cafes out there. We dwelled on questions like do we want to be a contemporary yet dainty cafe? Or do we want to be a contemporary cafe with a hipster vibe, or one with a retro vibe, or a local vibe? Do we want to be a place for a quick coffee, or one where you sit down for long conversations?

Through a series of such exploratory sessions, we arrived at the cafe that takes inspiration from the tropical plantation homes, with a resort vibe, with a luxurious laidback vibe, with the same feel being translated into the brand identity, the interiors, the furniture choices, the wall decor, the menu design, and more. The custom typography and the hand drawn brand symbol has come to be an easily recognised and loved brand identity. The fluid brand identity, with variations that are reminiscent of and inspired by the hand lettering seen in wall posters and restaurant signboards of yesteryears in this region, have been created breaking away from the idea of having a single strict logo style. The distinct brand colour choice has also added to the stickiness of the brand among visitors.

The Kaapi & Co. brand world and brand identity have been brought alive in the cafe space, across brand collaterals, signages, menu and other F&B collaterals.