A duo-concept café nestled in a quaint neighbourhood
Nestled in the tranquil corners of Siglap, Les Mains Bakehouse & Microcreamery is a unique café concept offering freshly baked delights in the morning and artisanal gelato in the evening. As part of the café’s upcoming renovation, the client sought to refresh both brands, creating a more cohesive and inviting atmosphere for customers.
Photo Credits: Les Mains Bakehouse & Microcreamery
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38%
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ROLE
Brand Designer
CLIENT
Les Mains Bakehouse
TIMELINE
Mar - Apr 2024
CHALLENGES
How might we establish a unified and cohesive branding strategy that seamlessly integrates both Les Mains Bakehouse and Microcreamery within a shared retail space, while preserving their unique identities?
OBJECTIVES
To enhance brand cohesiveness across Les Mains Bakehouse and Microcreamery while maintaining their distinct identities, with the ultimate goal of increasing foot traffic and elevating the café’s social media presence for both its morning and evening offerings.
APPROACH
→ Les Mains Bakehouse
Warm, Authentic, Organic - the refreshed branding for Les Mains Bakehouse embodies contemporary rustic charm, inviting customers with the promise of authentic, meticulously handcrafted baked goods made from the finest ingredients.
Inspired by European pastries and the name ‘Les Mains’ (French for ‘The Hands’), the logo features the ‘OK’ hand gesture, symbolising the quality and delight of their artisanal creations.
The Revitalised Logo for Les Mains Bakehouse
Logo variations
Les Mains Bakehouse Logo (Before and After)
Logo (Before) - Inconsistent and Unfurnished
Logo (After) - Consistent and Smooth
The new colour palette evokes a rich, warm, and rustic feel, reinforcing the handmade nature of the bakery’s offerings.
For typography, Poppins Semibold was chosen for headers and sub-headers, while Hind Medium serves as the secondary font for body text and captions. This pairing of sans-serif fonts creates a clean, modern, and highly readable aesthetic suitable for both print and web applications.
Refreshed Colour Palette and Typefaces
Additionally, three iconic pastry illustrations from Les Mains Bakehouse were incorporated as brand elements. These illustrations can be mixed and matched in various sizes, orientations, and colours to create customer patterns for collateral. To enhance the rustic appeal, a subtle grunge texture was applied, giving the visuals a handcrafted touch the reflects the baker’s philosophy.
Patterns
Proposed Collaterals
→ Microcreamery
Quirky, Experimental, Fun - the refreshed branding for Microcreamery encapsulates the spirit of innovation, where unexpected ingredients come together to create gelato flavours unlike any other.
The updated logo adds an element of fun and quirkiness, reflecting the surprise and variety that Microcreamery’s artisanal gelato offers in every scoop.
The Revitalised Logo for Microcreamery
Logo variations
Microcreamery Logo (Before and After)
Logo (Before) - Bumpy and Unbalanced
Logo (After) - Smooth and Balanced
A vibrant new colour palette and five distinct illustrated brand elements were introduced to represent the rang of gelato flavours, including Fruity, Creamy, Robust, Sweet, and Floral.
For typography, Gilker Bold was chosen for headers and sub-headers, providing boldness and a touch of fun, while Poppins Regular serves as the secondary font for body text and captions. Loverine Regular is selectively used as an accent to highlight keywords and draw attention.
Refreshed Colour Palette and Typefaces
Patterns and The Flavours They Represent
Proposed Collaterals
OUTCOMES
Six months after the rebranding project for Les Mains Bakehouse and Microcreamery, the businesses experienced remarkable growth, driven by consistent social media marketing efforts and the launch of new products, including bakes and gelatos.
Between April and October 2024, Les Mains Bakehouse's Instagram following grew by an impressive 41%, while Microcreamery experienced a similarly significant increase of 38%. During the same period, overall sales for both brands surged by 25%.
What was once a quiet café nestled in Jalan Tua Kong has transformed into a vibrant gathering spot, filled with lively chatter and the joyful presence of paw-friendly companions. Riding on this success, Les Mains is now preparing to open its second outlet, featuring a salad bowl concept, at the URA Centre in November 2024.
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