In Sydney's Waterloo, Plus Two offers house-roasted coffee, food, and coffee education.

I was approached by architect, Alana Cooke and business owner, Tony Xie to create a visual language that would communicate the cafe’s character.

Its unique design by Alana Cooke flips the typical cafe layout, with the workbench against the wall and equipment facing customers for an experience that invites customers to be part of the coffee-making experience. 

We first looked to the space, taking inspiration from the composed palette of hardwood and greys, the light grey terrazzo tiling, along with the added offers of retail and coffee education.

We found that, much like its name, Plus Two is a business of logical layers and additions. The dynamic wordmark embodies this with layered possibilities, culminating in a plus sign.

And to remain aligned with the restrained and airy interior aesthetic, the visual brand identity required a minimal format with moments of customised personality.

The packaging adopts the same typographic treatment, with its own additional layer of stickers listing ingredients and tasting notes.

To provide the final note of personality, we crafted characters representing diverse patrons at Plus Two: casual one-coffee drinkers, moderate four-coffee enthusiasts, and quirky nine-coffee gulpers (caution: handle gently).