case study 03
Cafelito / Vinolito — digital presence & visual communications
Ongoing visual communications for a modern Helsinki neighbourhood café by day and wine bar by night — website, menus, social media, and promotional materials, with complete creative freedom.
Overview
Cafelito is a modern neighbourhood café in Helsinki serving specialty coffee by day — and transforming into Vinolito, a wine and tapas bar, by night. It's a dual-identity venue with a warm, contemporary feel and a loyal local following.
I manage the full scope of their visual communications alongside my role as shift manager — giving me a deeper understanding of the space, the team, and the audience than any external designer could have.
The brief
The café had an established visual identity when I joined, but no consistent digital presence or structured approach to communications. The challenge was to build that presence from scratch — website, social media, and all ongoing visual materials — in a way that felt true to the venue's character.
Outcome
The Instagram account has grown to over 5,000 followers with strong engagement and reach consistently above average for a venue of this size. Feedback from the owner and the wider team has been extremely positive.
The visual presence now reflects the quality and personality of both Cafelito and Vinolito across every channel — built entirely through organic content and consistent creative direction.
Grew the Instagram account to 5,000+ followers with high reach and engagement — built entirely through organic content, consistent visual direction, and an insider's understanding of the venue.
Cafelito — Daytime
The Cafelito visual language is warm, modern, and approachable — reflecting the specialty coffee culture and neighbourhood feel of the café. Working within the existing brand identity, I developed all touchpoints: website, menus, Instagram content, and promotional materials.
The Instagram account became the main channel for communicating the café's personality — a mix of product shots, event promotion, and everyday moments that built a consistent and recognisable visual presence.
Vinolito— Daytime
By night the space becomes Vinolito — a wine and tapas bar with a distinct atmosphere. The visual identity shifts to reflect that: darker, more intimate, more refined. The same venue, a completely different mood.
The challenge was to make Vinolito feel like its own brand while keeping a clear visual connection to Cafelito — two identities that coexist in the same space without confusion.
