The best of times
We meet friends, make plans and even host meetings in coffee shops and cafes. They are our go-to ports on darker days, and our sanctuaries when we’re craving company, caffeine or just good food.
Indeed the best of days are often spent in solitary bliss, book in hand and alone with our observations, savouring moments and watching the world go by. So why not bring both together in an environment that inspires creativity? We were approached in July 2015 with an idea for a startup.
Disrupting the market
Enter Dickens Books & Café, a new concept café in the heart of Abu Dhabi City. With an obsessional desire for tasty food and a good cup of coffee (with all its roasts and rituals), our client was ready to create her own unique café brand in an old world setting with an abundance of books for a truly immersive brand experience.
Simple sells
The brand idea was brilliant in its simplicity: blend the finest food and tastiest coffee beans with familiar, critically acclaimed literature from times gone by and request the clientele to enter the café with an open mind and inquisitive nature. And to re-engage with the lost art of reading.
Less hipster, more authentic
The visual identity expresses not only symbols and meanings from the Dickensian vernacular, but combines with dynamic colours and playful touches that surprise and bring a smile. A welcome break from the monotomy of tired and badly developed café brands here in the UAE.
Hungry for more
We developed a brand strategy and identity to help Dickens Books & Café create an even better business from startup, including an evolved way of thinking about café culture and our interactions with the brand experience they represent.
An opportunity arose to revolutionise the ordering system and choices available to the consumer inside the café; from requesting books and leaving reviews, to connecting directly with the kitchen when ordering food, we developed a digital experience to help elevate the café experience to new heights.
What we did
- Brand communications
- Brand identity
- Brand story
- Brand strategy
- Copywriting
- Digital transformation
- Environmental design
- Tone-of-voice
- Visual identity
