Deinze is a cycling city, to say the least. The starting point of Gent-Wevelgem, the cycling brand De Groene Leeuw and Tour de France winner Lucien Buysse – only a few of the city’s assets. AB Inbev came knocking at our door for the design of a new café downstairs to Deinze’s city hall. We shifted gears and came up with a grand overall concept.
Yes, you got that right: Gent-Wevelgem does not start in Gent but at Deinze’s main square. The course of this Belgian cycling classic is immortalized in a striking wall graphic in the new café. The route is strung together with bicycle chains and cogs, a real conversation starter in the seating area.
The bar is the true showpiece in this cycling café. The wooden counter of the bar is finished as a cycling track, the bar is lined with stitched-in rubber, making it look like bicycle wheels. Ringing the bicycle bell will cost you a tournée génerale, drinks for everyone! Wondering what’s up with the huge tanks on top of the bar? There is only one answer: BEER! The Jupiler Flagship Café offers a tanqué as it should be, a beer straight from the tank.
While our bicycle, uhm project, was running smoothly, we went down to the local bicycle store looking for decorations. As by a miracle, the owner happened to be a collector of advertising panels that were used at cycling competitions in the olden days. These panels bring a feel of authenticity to the business.
‘Het Groot Verzet’, or ‘the high gear’ in English, would not be a Jupiler Flagship Café without a Jupiler wall. By adding cycling saddles and handlebars to the shield from the logo, we create both the shapes of a bull and a trophy. LED strips in the colours of the rainbow jersey, lamps made out of cogwheels or hung by bicycle chains – attention is paid to each and every detail.
We took the branding of Het Groot Verzet upon us as well. For the logo, we transformed a font to a logo script that perfectly captures the feel of the big cycling events. The shield – inspired by the classic bicycle head badges – and the stylized icon of a bull’s head are direct references to the original Jupiler logo.
The tricolour palette is a prominent link to the olden days of cycling, where it was present on jerseys and bicycle frames. We used the palette in a subtle manner and integrated it not only in the windows, bar and tables, but also on the beer tanks.
Became thirsty for a fresh tanqué? Make a breakaway to Deinze right now. Cheers!
