Launched in 2022, Parla is the newest venue by Zach Hiotis (formerly of Regiment) located in Sydney CBD's Quay Quarter. PARLA's food menu brings together some of the best elements of Modern Australian, Italian and Spanish while sourcing exclusively from local Australian producers. It offers a unique combination of the finest specialty coffee, cold meats, paninis, focaccia, natural wines, spirits and cocktails. As the sole designer of this project, I worked with Zach to develop a comprehensive visual identity that would be used across multiple touch-points such as signage, menus, takeaway cups and t-shirts.
Parla had initially done a quick branding in an effort to rapidly open the cafe. Upon reviewing, they felt that the current branding didn't align with their business goals and target audience. Parla wanted to set itself as a high-end cafe delivering an authentic experience, set in the newly built AMP building at Sydney's Circular Quay.
I first started by researching close competitors in the area to anaylse how their brand spoke to their audience, offerings and positioning. What I found was that most brands were either very sophisticated or very hip and modern, with a surge in the old school character graphic trend; this wasn't the direction I felt was right for Parla.
I started creating different mood-boards to establish the vision, and explore different brand concepts. They helped me set the tone and visual direction for colours, and font styles for the logo. After presenting 2 different explorations, Zach decided to narrow down on one specifically.
The new brand was thoughtfully created to reflect authenticity and quality, with a touch of modernity. PARLA isn’t your average coffee shop; it combines an authentic atmosphere with delicious and modern dishes, made from native high quality fresh ingredients.
The primary logo and logo-mark are simple and refined, just as is the venue. A soft, modern and simple typeface was chosen for the word-mark, sparking the perfect balance between elegant and casual, and timeless and modern. Placed horizontally, the logo-mark resembles a coffee cup, a nod to the quality of the coffee served at Parla.
The new colour palette was inspired by the coffee shop’s setting. The equipment is made of brass, giving it a sophisticated yet antique ambiance. The light brown hints to the coffee beans, as well as the idea of dried meats hanging from the walls, just like traditional old Italian shops. The gold is a hint to the strong presence of brass in the entire venue, and the light grey and pale grey add to the softness and earthiness of the colour tones, and emphasising on the brightness of the daylight that shines through the big building windows. Combined together, these colours reflect the authenticity and quality of the venue, food and coffee, with a touch of softness.
The final result of this project is a brand identity that represents a business, a venue, its offerings, and everything in between. Parla has seen an average of 7% increase in sales/annum since its launch, and I am excited for what is next for them.
This project was particularly exciting for me as this is - being located in the heart of Circular Quay - a cafe that is getting a lot of eyes on it. Considering the number of brand applications, it will be an opportunity for me to see my work applied across quite a few different mediums. What's more, seeing my work in the middle of the stunning interior by Tom Dixon... that's quite humbling.
