Karla Hernández designed these business cards for Galani, a coffee shop and roastery located in Ethiopia’s capital, Addis Ababa.
The business cards are part of the redesigning project. “My client’s goal was to renew his brand, making it more appealing to a younger demographic while maintaining its elegance and preserving its historical roots,” Karla said.
Naming & Logo Design
The brand name Galani is derived from the Gelan River, which flows through the Bale Mountains to Arba Minch, passing through many coffee-growing areas. Donkeys are commonly used to transport coffee beans in these regions, which inspired the creation of the company’s logo and name.
“The founder of the company was a donkey enthusiast,” Karla explained. “His favourite animal was the donkey. He found them to be hardworking, strong, perseverant, and capable of delivering a powerful kick if pushed around.”
Karla decided to take a more daring approach by experimenting with some of the elements within the area to keep things fresh and interesting.
“Aside from donkey, the founder was also a great admirer of Japanese culture. This new identity proposal aims to incorporate existing elements, such as bird textures and the presentation of some products, with textures based on kimono fabrics, combined with a graphic and colour palette that can represent the country.”
Typography & Colours
The main typeface used in the branding is called Aldine, a serif font that’s both classic and elegant.
In terms of colour palette, Galani already had a wide range of colours to choose from when designing their brand identity, thanks to their variety of coffee blends.
“While the main colour is black, I used secondary colours inspired by Ethiopian textures to create a more vibrant contrast.”
Business Card Printing
When it comes to card-printing, Karla suggested, “I thought the best option would be a low-cost, simple print, such as a black ink risograph on coloured cardboard, because the cards have too many colours.”
“In most cases, I try to make it as easy and economical as possible to help the client, while keeping the business card design simple yet eye-catching,” she added.
Designed by Karla Hernández a.k.a. Charlötte
For Galani
