Off the back of the success of our branding for Portuguese restaurant Bar Douro, founder Max Graham came back to us for help launching a street food spin-off to attract a wider, more youthful clientele.
The popup was to be called Roulote, named after the street food carts in Portugal's cities, catering to a younger party crowd. The offer was simple, the classic pork Biffana (an iconic sandwich served from roulotes and tascas across Portugal) and an Octopus Roll which was a twist on cachorros (hot dogs) served from roulotes outside nightclubs.
For the brand, we started to look at the Roulote and its role in Portuguese nightlife culture. It was a place where friends meet, where lovers meet, and where passion happens.
Roulote’s brand story plays on coming-of-age relationship experiences that many customers can relate to. The joy, the awkwardness and the ups and downs of a (new) relationship - our twist was to put the product, the Bifana and other characters centre stage. The brand was to be a Roulote Telenovela (soap opera), borne from Portugal’s love affair with the Bifana. For the launch illustrations, our cheeky Bifana starts a love affair with the Savora mustard (a staple condiment at a classic roulote stand).
Roulote’s brand story plays on coming-of-age relationship experiences that many customers can relate to. The joy, the awkwardness and the ups and downs of a (new) relationship - our twist was to put the product, the Bifana and other characters centre stage. The brand was to be a Roulote Telenovela (soap opera), borne from Portugal’s love affair with the Bifana. For the launch illustrations, our cheeky Bifana starts a love affair with the Savora mustard (a staple condiment at a classic roulote stand).
The resulting brand is energetic, characterful, authentic and honest. A deep dive into the street culture and nightlife of urban Portugal.
Behind the scenes
1. Illustrations: a cheeky representation of the characters/food. As well as being a nod to the relationship between the customers and the products (The Portuguese truly love the Bifana), the story humorously portrays the relationships between products and ingredients (Bifana and mustard go hand in hand).
2. Typography: We designed a bespoke typeface that helps bring the story to life. Inspired by Portuguese street signs, it's a mix of condensed and extended letterforms.
3. Portuguese street culture was reflected through colour palette, pattern but also short punchy copy inspired by Portuguese slang.