Couch 02

Couch is a reimagined mini bar in Elliotborough, designed to feel like a neighborhood living room rather than a traditional bar. The brand translates community, warmth, and authenticity into a visual and experiential system, highlighting playfulness and intimacy while establishing the bar as a creative local hub. Custom typography, a cozy color palette, and approachable design cues position Couch as “your home base in Elliotborough”.

Brand & Visual Identity Designer

Developed a rebranding concept for Elliotborough Mini Bar, translating the idea of a neighborhood living room into a playful, intimate, and approachable visual system. Work included concept creation, custom typography design, color exploration, and environmental and social collateral to reinforce the “home base” experience.

Tools: Adobe Illustrator, Adobe InDesign, Adobe Photoshop

Deliverables: Brand concept, custom logo and typography, color palette, brand board, Instagram story rollout, menus, staff shirts, hats, and matchboxes

Couch presented an opportunity to rethink what a neighborhood could be — not just a place to grab a drink, but a space where locals feel at home. The central challenge was this: How can Elliotborough Mini Bar, small in scale, become the heart of the neighborhood, delivering an experience that is authentic, playful, and intimate, while appealing to the local community?

The brand concept, “your home base in Elliotborough”, positions the bar as a living room for the neighborhood. This approach amplifies the bar’s existing strengths — community, inclusivity, and authenticity — while differentiating it from larger, tourist-focused establishments. Every design decision was informed by this concept, aiming to create a place where neighbors gather, conversations flow, and connections form naturally.

Moodboards and design inspiration drew on keywords such as authentic, cozy, modern, retro, and organic. A playful tone of voice reinforces the concept with phrases like: “Grab a seat, stay awhile”, “Less bar. More couch”, “Your corner of comfort”.

The visual identity reflects both familiarity and delight. The custom logo typeface was inspired by a literal couch — soft, cushioned, and unique, sparking that moment of connection with the brand. The color palette is warm but unconventional — light purple, deep warm red, and cream, to evoke comfort, playfulness, and an approachable, inclusive atmosphere.

The design extends across multiple touch points, reinforcing the cohesive concept: a brand pinboard, instagram story rollout, staff shirts, matchboxes, menus, and hats. Each element reinforces the “home base” experience, making the bar feel intimate, approachable, and local.

Through strategic design, Couch becomes more than a bar — it becomes a community anchor, an invitation to linger, and a reflection of Elliotborough’s character.