Elixir by Futura

How the Mexican studio Futura gave a Saudi Arabian coffee shop a magical new brand identity

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DEVELOPING THE STRATEGY

Daniel Martinez Larsen

The Elixir identity project began after the client, which is based in Saudi Arabia, saw our work on Behance and Instagram. Although we’re in Mexico City, the Gulf states are our second-biggest market after the US and the brief was to create something visually stunning and different in the coffee sector, working around the idea of alchemy and magic.

We were excited when the project came in because it’s an unusual theme for a coffee shop. It gave us the opportunity to explore a rich visual universe and bring these two worlds together by finding parallels between alchemy and the coffee-making process, without being too literal. Our aim was to create a brand that would not only stand out in the Gulf region, but globally as well.

During the moodboard phase, we usually present clients with two visual routes before going into the actual design work. It gives them a chance to become involved in the creative process and explore the opportunities with us.

The first route we explored was called “the contemporary alchemist”. This entailed reinterpreting ancient drawings and texts about the practice of alchemy and developing a modern take on a very traditional aesthetic. Taking this approach would involve preserving the distinctive elements of ancient alchemy while counterbalancing them with contemporary graphic resources.