TWINS
Video Store & Latin Deli
Branding Concept
TWINS is a shop in Kingsford that sells two products uncommon in Sydney: physical videos and Latin American products. The owner opened TWINS 14 years ago as a video store before later incorporating a Latin American deli into the business. Owing to this shift, it has yet to establish a coherent visual identity and even goes by several names. Though it has established itself as a friendly community store over the years. It has the potential to grow into a unique shopping destination for people all over Sydney who are in search of interesting concepts and rare products.
TWINS can be a one-of-a-kind store by embracing its unique qualities: the duality of its wares, its distinctly Latin roots, and its welcoming atmosphere. Due to its complex identity, clarity in messaging is the most vital component.
Its visuals will firstly be unified by branding that encapsulates its concept through a single recognisable logo and a consistent name: TWINS Video Store & Latin Deli. Its imagery should incorporate features of both wares—the nostalgic nature of videos and the Latin American aesthetics of the deli—done in a friendly, retro-inspired modern style to retain its friendly neighbourhood shop appeal while also establishing credibility and professionalism. An intriguing design can help the store remain an active presence in the community and entice new customers who are genuinely interested in all the business has to offer for years to come.
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On-Site Research
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Brand Concept
The final logo I designed for TWINS is something that conveys its unique duality and celebrates its Latin American roots.
The icon was designed by combining two symbols, the play button and the pionono, that describe the duality of the business: the video store and the Latin Deli. They are combined into one to reflects TWINS’ unique shop. This also recalls the concept of magic realism, a genre prominient in Latin America where fantastical things happen in real life. Real-life cakes don’t have play buttons inside them but this cake and this play button are "real." This imagery was rendered in a contemporary style to establish credibility as a business. However, elements of playfulness were retained in the eccentric shape of the play button, calling back not only to the shop’s friendly identity but also to characteristics common in Latin graphic design. The skewed nature is also a reflection of retro-style video stores, including TWINS itself on its current sign, that often use this element.
The text is written in a retro, wacky font reminiscent of the nostalgia around video stores but also of Latin design. All capitals were used to reflect a bold personality to call attention to the shop. The subtitle is written in an easy-to- read sans serif font to provide contrast. The "and" in the subtitle must always be written as an ampersand to provide balance between the two descriptions.
Using red and yellow was inspired by the business’ Latin American roots, being two colours that show up most often among the continents’ flags. They are also the colour of heat, a characteristic common to the region’s food and also its predominantly tropical climate. Blue serves as the accent colour because it is also used often on national flags and can be a cooling complement to the fiery primary colours. Grey is a counterbalance to all the other strong colours. The shades convey brightness and friendliness, to make the store retain its welcoming nature. The combination of strong colours gives a retro vibe, with the bright and flashy palette being nostalgic of 2000’s style video stores.
Altogether, the surreal, playful, eccentric, dynamic, and bold characteristics of the logo were chosen to convey TWINS’ personality and unique background. A magic realist and retro style encompassed in one contemporary and functional logo that captures the duality and essence of such a unique shop.
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Supplementary Assets
In addition to creating a logo that reflects TWINS' unique personality, I also wanted the graphic output to be usable in physical products (employee uniforms, shop signs, and takeaway shopping bags), and digital platforms (social media profiles) to retain relevance in the minds of existing customers and explain its unique identity to potential customers.
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Process:
Exploration & Iteration
After doing my research, I started my exploration of possible logos by iterating again and again. I experimented with different visual cues, concepts, and styles and explored different ways to render real objects to see if it would translate well. I played with combining different items and laying them out in different ways.
