Cam Norris and Lennard Kok link up to capture the romantic essence of Melbourne wine bar Essie

Essie is a wine bar and shop housed within a characterful historic building in the quaint backstreets of Malvern, an inner suburb of Australian city Melbourne. The bar caters to those with a shared appreciation and love for all things wine, be it from a casual or fanatic perspective. Local independent designer Cam Norris designed Essie’s identity to capture that essence.

The bar’s vibrant energy is portrayed through a street-front scene created by Dutch illustrator Lennard Kok. “Illustration is a suggestive and emotive form of media – anyone young or old can relate to it and appreciate it”, Norris explains. He decided to collaborate with Kok after seeing his work for the APC x Apartmento collaboration, “I like how considered and ‘whole’ his illustrations are, using as little linework as possible”. Kok’s style helped for practical reasons too, with Norris adding that he “had to forecast production of collateral for the venue and simple linework tends to reproduce best across print and textile”.

The single-weight uniformity of the illustrations portrays a timeless simplicity, and the logotype follows suit. Norris chose Letters from Sweden’s Line for its emotive and expressionistic qualities, as well as its connection to the romantic feel of a wine bar. The initially black and white palette is intended to leave room for future experimentation. “Think of it like a fashion campaign that changes with the seasons”, concludes Norris.

Cam Norris