DEVELOPING THE STRATEGY
Daniel Martinez Larsen
The Elixir identity project began after the client,
which is based in Saudi Arabia, saw our work on
Behance and Instagram. Although we’re in Mexico
City, the Gulf states are our second-biggest market
after the US and the brief was to create something
visually stunning and different in the coffee sector,
working around the idea of alchemy and magic.
We were excited when the project came in
because it’s an unusual theme for a coffee shop.
It gave us the opportunity to explore a rich visual
universe and bring these two worlds together
by finding parallels between alchemy and the
coffee-making process, without being too literal.
Our aim was to create a brand that would not only
stand out in the Gulf region, but globally as well.
During the moodboard phase, we usually
present clients with two visual routes before going
into the actual design work. It gives them a chance
to become involved in the creative process and
explore the opportunities with us.
The first route we explored was called
“the contemporary alchemist”. This entailed
reinterpreting ancient drawings and texts
about the practice of alchemy and developing
a modern take on a very traditional aesthetic.
Taking this approach would involve preserving
the distinctive elements of ancient alchemy
while counterbalancing them with contemporary
graphic resources.
The second route, “the pop alchemist”, took
a more fun and experimental approach. It played
with illustrations and graphical elements inspired
by potions and other magic products found in
traditional folk markets here in Mexico. These
esoteric products are part of our culture and
include lotions that will make you rich, soaps to
clean away the evil eye and miracle candles. We
wanted to link this imagery with alchemy in a fun
and almost kitsch way. The route we chose turned
out to be a mixture of both concepts.
THE DESIGN WORK
Daniel Martinez Larsen
Coffee brands seem to have a default aesthetic
with recurring notions such as craft, coffee
bean imagery, organic shapes, and colours
and illustrations relating to the coffee-making
process. We wanted to push the boundaries and
proposed different materials that would make a
subtle impact, while incorporating the concepts
the client had briefed us on. The brand needed to
have a fresh, young, pop feel to it, supported by
a range of assets including an icon, typographic
approach, layout style, illustrations, stationery,
packaging and more.
The identity is all about the transformation
of common metals into gold, which is at the
heart of the logo we designed. Although the
transformation of metals into gold is the focus
of alchemy, the colour silver is important in
this identity. To the alchemist, silver is the most
precious of the seven base metals used in the
practice and we used it to make Elixir’s takeaway
cups and other assets stand out. Cups act as
PROJECT
DANIEL MARTINEZ
LARSEN
Partner and art
director, Futura
Daniel started as a
junior designer at
Futura in 2013 while
completing his studies
at Universidad de
Monterrey. Four years
later, he moved to
Mexico City where he
was made partner and
art director with the
studio. He continues to
lead the visual side of
each Futura project.
IVÁN GARCÍA
Founding partner
and creative director,
Futura
Iván gained recognition
online as a young
designer and moved
to Monterrey where he
took a job designing a
porn website, before
moving to a respected
agency. In 2008, he
founded Futura to
focus on branding,
art direction and
photography, blurring
the boundaries
between different
forms of creativity.
