HGV rebrands Flocafé bars with bespoke typeface design

Flocafé, an upmarket chain of cafe bars operating throughout Greece and Cyprus, is overhauling its estate following a rebrand by London-based consultancy HGV. The design is part of a strategy by the business to play down the fact that each bar is part of an 80-strong chain.

HGV’s visual identity aims to introduce a more personal feel to the outlets, according to creative director Pierre Vermeir. ‘Unlike here, where people go to coffee bars for a quick hit, people go to a café to socialise. So we have tried to make sure that each café looks more like a single shop,’ he explains. To achieve this, HGV has developed a palette of elements from which the café owners can select.

The consultancy was appointed through its existing relationship with Flocafé‘s advertising agency, Athens-based Fortune. It has designed brand guidelines, product packaging and signage which the company will now use to update its estate of stores.

Vermeir has also developed a bespoke typeface for the identity. The swirling letterforms and brown colour palette are intended to emphasise the importance of high-quality coffee, he says.

‘The previous logotype lacked a reflection of what the business is really about, which is the passion Mediterranean people have for coffee,’ he says.