At the beginning of the rebranding mission, the possibility of simply revisiting the Younes mark was entertained. It quickly became obvious, however, that the standing identity conformed too much to a design convention that was clearly at odds with locality as a conceptual direction. After all, the aim was in fact to counter the generic configuration epitomized by the American coffee shop and to focus instead on the intimate Younes experience. A typographic-calligraphic approach soon prevailed and, along with a meticulous CMYK separation treatment for the color scheme and an eclectic approach to representation styles, it set the tone for an elaborate visual system that strikes a particular balance between variation and consistency across a range of applications.

At the time of the mission, Café Younes was in the middle of expanding into multiple outlets with different spatial scenarios. In order to address this complexity, a variable signage materials scheme was adopted to tailor each outlet’s signs to the space in which they are found. Wooden hanging signs blend nicely in the urban neighborhood, stainless steel light boxes stand out in an indoor mall, and gold vinyl ornaments glass surfaces in reference to classical sign painting practices. With engraved zinc interior signage, a history wall of collected old frames and an archival explosion on the coffee shop walls, the Café Younes spatial treatments are some of its most recognizable identity markers.