Dalston in name and nature: Studio Ingrid Picanyol’s brand for Dalston Coffee reflects its legacy

“Instead of working on the branding and then on the packaging,” Barcelonian Creative Director Ingrid Picanyol tells us, talking of their collaboration with coffee roasters Dalston Coffee, “we decided to focus the concept on the packaging,” due to it being the main application of the brand. “After having the concept of the packaging,” she adds, “we defined the logo and type language,” creating a playful, referential world rich with the company’s history, legacy and interests. 

Having fallen in love with speciality coffee whilst in the London area of Dalston before pursuing coffee roasting themselves – inspiring the brand’s name – chef Borja Roselló took the jump from cuisine to caffeine in 2015, where they founded a café and roastery in El Raval to serve accessible, affordable coffee that matches Dalston’s high standards. Picanyol, translating Roselló’s experience and intentions, brought together type, illustration and content across the identity, embracing the brand as a neighbourhood first and foremost. Manifesting as a Dalston-red-brick-inspired house, the coffee’s packaging is quaint, and informational, topped by a coloured roof – changing from coffee to coffee.

“Tiago from our team is based in Porto,” she recalls, “and he introduced us to Lourenço Providência,” who went on to quite literally introduce character to the identity through simple, charismatic drawings. “We especially fell in love with the illustration style of a project that he did for Monocle Magazine,” Picanyol concludes, utilising the creative’s engaging pencilling to imbue an undoubtedly humble tone.” 

This is mirrored by the use of Feliciano Type’s Parafina as the hero typeface – the humanist, Gill Sans-esque construction of which not only references London’s typographic history but carries with it an unwavering charm. 

Ingrid Picanyol Studio

Dalston Coffee