Biroti
Biroti is a café designed around a simple but increasingly rare idea: being fully present. In a culture where cafés have become extensions of offices and screens dominate social spaces, the project explores how branding can encourage genuine human connection. The identity system was developed to support a device-free café experience, translating the brand's philosophy across physical and digital touchpoints including the logo, menu design, conversation prompt cards, environmental graphics, and website.
- Year
- 2025
- Duration
- 6 weeks · Individual
- Client
- Biroti Café, Kolkata (Hypothetical)
- Deliverables
- Logo · Menu · Prompts · Website
CONTEXT
Cafés became offices
Modern cafés increasingly function as workspaces. Laptops, notifications, and digital distractions often replace meaningful interactions, transforming social environments into temporary offices.
The challenge was to create a brand identity that actively encourages people to slow down, engage with one another, and reclaim moments of uninterrupted conversation.
INSIGHT
Being present is no longer the default, It has to be designed.
NAMING
Biroti, Bengali for pause
BENGALI — pause
Rather than representing a complete stop, the name signifies a brief moment of reflection between activities. It embodies the café's core philosophy: creating space for people to disconnect from devices and reconnect with their surroundings.
PALETTE
Visual Vocabulary
TYPE
Three families. One voice.
DM Serif Display
Regular + Italic
Logo · Display headline
Take a break.
Cormorant Garamond
Light
Body copy · Long-form
BIROTI is where conversations flow without interruption.
Li MAK Zakigonj Unicode
Regular
Names · Bengali script
LOGO SYSTEM
One word-mark, three backgrounds.
CONVERSATION PROMPTS
A question per table.
BIROTI CAFÉ
When did you last do absolutely nothing — and not feel guilty about it?
BIROTI CAFÉ
If you could slow down one moment from this week, which would it be?
BIROTI CAFÉ
What's one thing you've been rushing past that deserves your full attention?
BIROTI CAFÉ
What part of yourself are you still waiting for permission to become?
REFLECTION
Key Takeaways
This project demonstrated how a strong point of view can guide an entire identity system. Once the brand philosophy was clearly defined, decisions regarding typography, colour, language, and touchpoints became significantly more focused and coherent. Biroti is ultimately a brand built around a single belief: meaningful experiences begin when distractions end.