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Lento Café

The hour is yours.

Lento, Addis Ababa · Food and beverage · Branding

The markThe name built from its o; the tick is the time.

An identity for an all-day restaurant in Addis Ababa: the wordmark and the motif, aubergine and mustard on cream, the signature line, the collateral, the packaging, the interior direction and the guidelines.

The Lento menu cover in plum cloth with the mustard lockup — The coverPlum cloth, two studs, the lockup in mustard.

The Lento menu open at a section, a plated dish on the left page — The spreadA photograph left, a section right; the o closes the page.

Most cafes are built to serve you and turn the table.

Lento is built for the long visit.

The hour is yours.

The ideaThe manifesto, in the brand's own words.

Two cream Lento menu sheets on a stone table — The paper menuTwo cream sheets on stone, the pattern faint in the paper.

The Lento digital menu on a tablet held over a table, a coffee beside it — The digital menuThe grid on a tablet, a coffee beside it.

The patternOne tile, tone on tone, three to four times larger than instinct says.

Two Lento menu sheets laid flat, every section listed — The sheetsEvery section on two sheets, set in the two faces.

Lento's oak coaster with the QR code and four small motifs — The coasterThe menu by QR code, burnt into oak, the motif at the quarters.

SectionItem

BreakfastEggs Your WayEggs, sourdough, butter and breakfast sides.

Smoothie BowlsStrawberry BowlStrawberry, banana and yogurt with strawberries, granola, coconut and honey.

MainsSmash Burger & FriesBeef patty, cheese, caramelised onion, house sauce and fries.

SaladsChicken Caesar SaladBreaded chicken breast, baby gem lettuce, bacon bits, anchovies, parmesan, Caesar dressing.

DessertsButter Croissant

Coffee MenuEspressoSingle or double.

TeaEnglish Breakfast

SmoothiesStrawberry CreamStrawberry, strawberry purée, banana, yogurt and vanilla.

Soft DrinksStill or Sparkling Water

Add-onsExtra espresso shot

The typeGunter speaks first. RNS Sanz does everything else.

The iconThe o alone, upright, never beside the wordmark.

The plum Lento hot cup with the tonal pattern and a black lid — The cupThe pattern tone on tone, the lockup in mustard, a black lid.

Coffee poured into a plum Lento cup, hands only — The pourThe hot cup filled, hands only.

Three Lento iced coffees carried on a wooden board — The iced coffeeThree cups on a board, the lockup on each.

A cream Lento napkin under a knife and fork — The napkinCream, the motif pressed into the paper.

Aubergine.
The ground.#4C2248

Mustard.
The mark.#C8922B

Cream.
The paper.#EFE8D2

The colourThree grounds. Charcoal is for the words.

The plum Lento pastry box open, six pastries inside — The boxThe pastry box: the pattern tone on tone, the lockup on the front.

The plum Lento carrier bag with rope handles — The bagThe carrier bag, plum, the lockup and the line in mustard.

A hand pressing a plum Lento seal onto cream paper — The sealA plum disc, pressed on by hand.

Lento business cards, one plum and one cream, on a wooden table — The cardPlum face, cream back; the name is a placeholder.

The Lento loyalty card stamped by hand — The loyalty cardTen wells, the last one the motif.

A plum Lento envelope and a cream card on a linen chair — The envelopePlum, with a cream card inside; the address is a placeholder.

The Lento letterhead with a plum edge and the lockup at the head — The letterheadA plum edge, the lockup at the head, the body in RNS Sanz.

A hand bringing the stamp down on the Lento loyalty card — The stampThe stamp coming down on the next well.

The cream Lento name tag on a plum apron — The name tagCream on the apron, the icon and a placeholder name.

The plum Lento cap with the icon stitched in mustard — The capPlum, the icon stitched small in mustard.

Three Lento coffee bags, light, medium and dark roast — The coffee bagsLight, medium and dark roast; cream, mustard and plum.

The plum Lento apron with a name stitched in mustard — The uniformThe plum apron, the name stitched in mustard; a placeholder name.

The plum Lento tote bag hanging on a wooden peg — The tote, plumThe lockup in mustard, the pattern beneath it.

The cream Lento tote bag hanging on a wooden peg — The tote, creamThe lockup in mustard on cream; no pattern.

Three Lento mugs, aubergine, cream and mustard, on a plaster ledge — The mugsAubergine, cream and mustard; the icon large enough to leave the mug.

Three Lento thermos cups, plum, mustard and cream, from the front — The thermos, frontThree grounds; the icon on plum, the lockup on mustard and cream.

Three Lento thermos cups from the back, the lockup low on each — The thermos, backThe lockup low on the body, one colour a cup.

The signMustard letters on plaster. The halo comes on after dark.

The signMustard letters on plaster. The halo comes on after dark.

The Lento lounge by day, timber and plum banquettes — The loungeTimber, plum banquettes, planting at the glass.

The Lento lounge and counter by day — The lounge and the counterThe counter under the curved ceiling, tables in the light.

The Lento room at evening: plum niches, pendant pools over the tables, candles lit — The roomFrom half past five the light drops to pools. The pace does not change.

The Lento niche wall by day, plum arches and pendant lights — The niche wall, dayPlum arches along the wall, a pendant to each table.

The Lento niche wall in the evening, the pendants lit — The niche wall, eveningThe same wall; the light drops to the tables.

The feedPhotographs only, three subjects in rotation, four by five.

The feedPhotographs only, three subjects in rotation, four by five.

The Lento room at dusk seen through the glass — The terraceDusk through the glass, the arches lit from inside.

The Lento lounge in the evening — The lounge, eveningThe counter's light on, the room in its pools.

Lento, Addis Ababa, for Gulf New Prime LLC. Strategy, naming, identity, guidelines, menu, packaging, collateral, uniform and interior direction by Alternative Space. The rooms are renders from the architect's plan, not photographs. Typefaces Gunter and RNS Sanz.

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