La Plage Brand Identity

La Plage Brand Identity

La Plage Brand Identity is a comprehensive visual communication system that synthesizes mid-twentieth-century beach culture aesthetics with contemporary graphic design methodologies to create a distinctive hospitality brand experience for a restaurant and bar establishment. Designed by the creative partnership of Ebru Sile Goksel and Ipek Eris Ugurlu through Studio Born, this brand identity project represents a sophisticated exploration of nostalgic visual language, drawing extensively from archival photography of 1950s beachside leisure culture to construct a cohesive narrative environment that permeates every customer touchpoint. The identity system employs a carefully curated material palette dominated by terracotta, verdant green, and metallic gold accents, establishing a chromatic foundation that evokes both the warmth of sun-drenched coastal landscapes and the refined elegance of mid-century design sensibilities. Central to the visual strategy is the development of custom illustrations that originated as hand-drawn sketches before undergoing digital refinement, incorporating dimensional qualities through strategic application of shadows and color gradations to achieve depth and visual interest. These illustrative elements feature stylized figures and whimsical compositional arrangements that reference the bohemian sophistication characteristic of 1950s beach culture, while the typographic system balances expressive display faces with more restrained supporting typefaces to create hierarchical clarity across diverse applications. The logotype itself was engineered to embody approachable elegance, possessing memorable formal qualities while maintaining visual accessibility that aligns with the brand's positioning as simultaneously refined and welcoming. Extensive typographic research informed the selection of font pairings that successfully negotiate the tension between warmth and sophistication, with particular attention devoted to ensuring legibility across varied scales and contexts. The identity extends across an expansive range of collateral materials including coasters, napkins, staff uniforms, food and beverage menus, packaging systems, wrapping paper, signage installations, wall graphics, and comprehensive corporate stationery, with each element receiving individualized design consideration to prevent visual repetition while maintaining systemic coherence. Production methodology incorporated advanced printing techniques including foil stamping with metallic gold accents, requiring meticulous oversight during manufacturing to ensure consistent quality across all printed materials. The selection of paper stocks, weights, and surface textures was approached as an integral component of the brand experience, with tactile qualities deliberately calibrated to reinforce the identity's positioning at the intersection of vintage charm and contemporary luxury. Pantone color specifications ensured chromatic consistency across diverse substrates and printing processes, while the integration of special finishing techniques elevated the sensory dimension of brand interactions beyond purely visual engagement. Witty slogans such as Girls just wanna have sun and Sea la vie were developed to inject personality and conversational accessibility into the brand voice, with these textual elements receiving typographic treatments that harmonize with the illustrative components to create unified compositions. The project timeline spanned two and a half months from initial conception through final file preparation, commencing in April 2024 and reaching completion in June 2024, with the physical restaurant launching in August 2024 and rapidly establishing itself as a prominent destination within Istanbul's competitive hospitality landscape. Research methodology involved systematic analysis of visual archives documenting 1950s lifestyle aesthetics, with specific attention to photographic details including background elements, figure poses, period-appropriate clothing, and era-defining accessories that could be synthesized into cohesive illustrative narratives. The design team collaborated closely with architectural professionals to develop integrated branding concepts for exterior applications and wayfinding systems, ensuring seamless continuity between interior and exterior brand expressions. Each illustration was conceived to function as a self-contained narrative element while contributing to the broader storytelling framework that positions La Plage Brand Identity as an immersive experiential environment rather than merely a collection of graphic artifacts. The holistic design approach ensured that every moment of customer interaction, from initial exterior visibility through menu consultation and dining experience, was orchestrated through consistent visual storytelling that reinforces brand values of artistic expression, leisurely sophistication, and coastal allure. This comprehensive brand identity system received recognition through the Golden A' Design Award in the Graphics, Illustration and Visual Communication Design category in 2025, one of the world's most prestigious design competitions, which acknowledged the project's exceptional innovation, visionary approach, and technical excellence in advancing the boundaries of contemporary brand identity design. The award designation specifically recognized the design's ability to demonstrate high-level innovation with significant impact on its intended audience, noting the work's capacity to exceed expectations through its synthesis of historical reference and contemporary execution. The identity holds Turkish patent registration number 2023 122231, dated February 8, 2024, providing legal protection for its distinctive visual elements. Studio Born, the independent design practice responsible for La Plage Brand Identity, operates from bases in Miami and Istanbul, specializing in branding, packaging, and graphic design with a philosophical commitment to transforming conceptual ideas into realized design solutions. The project exemplifies contemporary approaches to hospitality branding that prioritize narrative coherence, material authenticity, and experiential richness, demonstrating how historical design languages can be recontextualized through contemporary methodologies to create brand identities that resonate with modern audiences while maintaining temporal depth and cultural specificity.

Brand identity design, vintage-inspired graphics, hospitality branding, mid-century aesthetics, visual communication systems, typographic design

— Adam Dawson

CITATION : "Adam Dawson. 'La Plage Brand Identity.' Design+Encyclopedia. https://design-encyclopedia.com/define/la-plage-brand-identity?E=482963 (Accessed on October 14, 2026)"