Le Bajo

Client: Le Bajo

Year: 2023

Industry: Food & Beverage

Deliverables: Illustration system, wayfinding, collateral applications

The Brief

Le Bajo came to the studio having already finalized its logomark, developed by Japanese artist Kanoko Takaya.

The venue had a strong identity in atmosphere: informal, social, unmistakably coastal. What it lacked was a visual language capable of carrying that atmosphere consistently across menus, packaging, signage, uniforms, and digital platforms. The task was not redesign. It was to build a complete visual ecosystem around an existing mark.

The Work

The concept was hospitality.

Most restaurant identities communicate through their products. Le Bajo communicates through people. The illustration system turns those human interactions into the brand’s primary visual language.

A cast of recurring characters was developed to inhabit the identity: hosts, servers, guests, and beachgoers, shifting roles depending on the context while remaining recognizable as part of the same world. The characters are not decorative. They are the brand’s primary means of recognition.

The system was built as infrastructure. Every character follows the same drawing logic, which means new scenes and situations can be added without rebuilding the language from scratch. A host becomes a guest. A guest becomes a bartender. A single figure moves between menu graphics, packaging, signage, and marketing materials without losing coherence. The identity grows through use rather than remaining fixed as a set of static assets.

The System in Use

The illustration language extends across every customer touchpoint.

On menus and packaging, the characters introduce moments of personality and hospitality. On flyers and marketing collateral, they become storytelling devices. Within the venue, the same visual language informs wayfinding and environmental graphics, helping visitors navigate the space without introducing a separate signage aesthetic.

The system carries through to stationery, staff uniforms, printed materials, and digital assets.

The result is an identity that does not rely solely on a logo for recognition. The illustrations become a visual cast that customers encounter repeatedly across the Le Bajo experience.