More Than a Redesign: Naming and Branding Creation for Chayku

This project is one of those fascinating stories where what originally began as a simple logo update request ended up transforming into the creation of a completely new brand from the ground up.

A Restructuring as an Opportunity

The owner of a tea house in the city of Tecate initially contacted me to refresh her business’s image. However, during our first talks, it became evident that the project was going through an internal restructuring and a separation from its original organization. This change marked the beginning of a new stage for her.

Seeing this as an opportunity, we suggested taking advantage of her venue’s privileged location to make a clean break and not settle for a simple cosmetic adjustment: we proposed starting with a new identity, backed by a professional naming proposal.

The Naming: Chayku is Born

After an extensive ideation phase, we discovered the perfect word: Chayku. This term, of Russian origin, is an affectionate expression that translates as an invitation: “would you like some tea?”.

From this concept, we started building the identity. We wanted Chayku to be exactly that: an invitation to taste, to have a moment of tranquility and contemplation. The brand also absorbed much of its creator’s identity, a young person with a globetrotting spirit, passionate about both tea and theater. Chayku was born with the purpose of bringing the ancient tradition of tea to a growing city that is highly receptive to new proposals.

The Design: Modernism and the Camellia sinensis

Visually, it was essential to reflect this mixture of tradition, youth, and history. We integrated classic elements and used very elegant serif typographies, anchoring the entire identity to its botanical core: the tea leaf, or Camellia sinensis.

This process was a very particular design challenge for me. Generally, I like to base my identities on strict geometric grids. However, for Chayku, the tea leaf demanded preserving the human factor; it had to feel handmade, almost painted. We broke with strict geometry and resorted to highly detailed illustration, full of ornaments, drinking heavily from the aesthetics of Modernism (Art Nouveau).

A Space Where Time Waits

Over time, Chayku has followed its own evolution. They recently moved to a slightly smaller space, but the brand proved to be so solid that it managed to keep its essence intact. Today it remains that urban sanctuary, a space where time can wait and where there is always, no matter what happens outside, a moment to enjoy a good tea.