CASE STUDY · KENT TOWN, ADELAIDE

Cafetal Coffeeco

From an old photography studio to a distinctive Colombian coffee space.

THE PROJECT

A Complete Brand & Visual Transformation

Logo, colours, interior, exterior, signwriting and a hand-painted Colombian mural, all designed to work together as one brand, with the mural as the hero piece.

Client

Cafetal Coffeeco

Location

Kent Town, Adelaide

Services

Branding, painting, signwriting & mural

Completed

November 2020

THE BRIEF

An Old Studio, and a Brand Still to Be Built

Cafetal’s two owners already had the venue, a dated former photography studio, but not yet a clear vision of how the space should look or how the brand should come together.

Diegodalo came in from the early stages, helping make decisions about the logo, colours, interior, exterior, signage and artwork, so the café would feel like one cohesive brand rather than a collection of separate design elements.

The old photography studio in Kent Town before the Cafetal Coffeeco transformation, with the blue facade being painted black
Before: the old studio’s blue facade, halfway to black

THE STORY

A Colombian Coffee Story, in Pop Art

We wanted the centrepiece to tell a story about the origins of coffee, and more specifically about Colombia. We started from a real photograph taken at Finca Casablanca, the farm in Santander, Colombia, where the coffee is grown, and turned it into an illustrated pop-art interpretation in Diegodalo’s own style.

The final design shows the farmer from behind, walking up through the dense leaves of a Colombian coffee plantation, detailed enough to turn the wall into the story behind the coffee.

Original photograph of a coffee farmer carrying a picking basket at Finca Casablanca, Santander, Colombia
1. The original photograph, courtesy of Finca Casablanca, Santander, Colombia
Digital illustration of a Colombian coffee farmer walking through a coffee plantation, designed for the Cafetal Coffeeco mural
2. The digital illustration, built layer by layer
The Cafetal Coffeeco mural design projected onto the wall at night to map it out
3. Projecting the design onto the wall to map it out

THE PROCESS

Built Together, From Street to Counter

The owners took on the physical renovation, from demolition to building the kitchen, while Diegodalo led the visual transformation: logo and colour palette, digital mockups, painting, signage and artwork.

Cafetal Coffeeco exterior with the upper facade repainted black

1. A new exterior

The blue upper facade became black for a stronger, more contemporary look, and the red entrance door was repainted yellow as a distinctive colour accent.

Cafetal Coffeeco interior with the ceiling painted black and fresh white walls, ready for fit-out

2. The interior

Inside, the ceiling was painted black and the walls matched to the new palette, with the Cafetal name hand-painted in a copper tone.

Diegodalo hand-painting the Cafetal Coffeeco logo on a brick wall in Kent Town

3. Hand-painted signwriting

The Cafetal logo was hand-painted onto the brick wall at the front, and again in the rear car park, so the brand greets customers from the moment they arrive.

The Cafetal Coffeeco mural in progress, with the first layers of the coffee farmer and bamboo steps painted

4. The mural, layer by layer

Started in October 2020 and finished in November, the mural took almost a month, working around the strong spring sun and building it up gradually through layers of detail.

MORE THAN A MURAL

A Story Close to Home

As Colombian artists ourselves, the story behind this mural felt personal: it represents our own culture and the people behind Colombian coffee. The owners were part of the creative process throughout and gave us a real sense of belonging to the project.

The brand went beyond the walls, too. We helped design some of the first coffee labels, carrying the farmer illustration from the mural onto the packaging.

Cafetal Coffeeco Colombian coffee packaging featuring the coffee farmer illustration from the mural

THE RESULT

One Brand, One Space, One Story

The logo, colours, signage, interior, exterior and mural now work together as one identity. We even painted coffee leaves onto the ground, as if they had fallen from the plantation. At the centre of it all, the mural brings a Colombian coffee story to a café in Kent Town.

Cafetal Coffeeco shopfront in Kent Town with the hand-painted logo, yellow door and Colombian coffee mural by Diegodalo

Watch the project reel on Instagram →

FROM THE CLIENT

“Diego took the time to truly understand our vision and brought it to life in a way that exceeded our expectations… The murals still remain intact and vibrant even to this day.”

Cafetal Coffeeco
Kent Town, Adelaide

YOUR BRAND

Have a Brand That Deserves a Space?

Whether you’re opening a new café or refreshing an existing one, we’ll help your brand look, feel and communicate the same way, from the street to the counter.