Campbell Hay's identity for Batera brings the spirit of San Sebastián to London's Borough Market

London’s Borough Market has been a street food favourite since it was transformed from a wholesale market to an artisan mecca in the late 1990s. At the end of 2019, it further cemented its place as a leading London food hotspot with the Borough Market Kitchen, an outdoor, communal dining space that plays host to everyone from Michelin starred chefs to local street food vendors.

One of its offerings is Batera, a pintxos bar from the team behind Iberian cookery school Mimo. As well as pintxos, which are a variation of tapas from the Basque country, they serve Zapiain cider, Txakoli and Basqueland Brewing beers. Before the restaurant opened, London-based brand consultancy Campbell Hay was invited to develop its name and visual identity, having already successfully created Mimo’s back in 2017.

Upon creating the identity, Campbell Hay knew that capturing the quality, vibrancy and conviviality of Basque city San Sebastián was the primary objective. A naming workshop led them to ‘Batera’, which means ‘together’ in the region’s local dialect, subtly and authentically connecting back to how pintxos are traditionally enjoyed. The concept is reinforced by the condensed logotype, whose characters are huddled together to represent the lively crowds that eat and drink together in the city’s Old Town every night.

In application, the logotype is contrasted against sharp serif typography and a series of illustrations. The lively forms mimic the animated gestures and dynamic social interactions that take place over a plate of pintxos such as sliding dishes across the bar.

In addition to the visual identity, Campbell Hay designed Batera’s interior, elevating humble materials such as textural terracotta tiles and warm American clay walls with refined details such as bespoke, hand-finished bronze signage.

Campbell Hay