Waleema – Design + Brand Postioning
Breathing Beirut through a brand.
That was the challenge set by restaurant owner Fadi Chafi, who I worked with on renaming and rebranding his existing Lebanese concept, Mezza House.
I took inspiration from Fadi’s stories of Beirut and the colours, fonts and buildings of the Levantine city. He told me there is a superstition about owning something too perfect. The Lebanese would sometimes even scratch their brand new car to damage it before something bad happens at someone else’s hand.
Taking this inspiration I designed a wordmark with uneven letter forms, and a supporting tile pattern that is modern but still refers to tradition.
I worked on choosing the name Waleema with Fadi. It is derived from the Arabic word of “Awlam” - meaning ''to gather over a meal/feast'' the bringing together of friends and family around food. It also works well to reflect Fadi’s menu, which is centred around small plates for sharing.
