São Paulo's Retro Branding Wave Brings Playful Nostalgia to Bars and Restaurants
The bar and restaurant landscape in São Paulo is evolving towards whimsical, illustrated branding, influenced by creative studios such as Estúdio Caxa, Arado, Sarau, Biabum, PS2, and designer Flora Carvalho. In 2020, Caxa developed an identity for Exquisito that celebrated Latin American culture with unique typefaces. Arado's 2022 design for Duas Irmãs brewery incorporated hand-drawn features. Sarau's 2024 branding for Bar Ovo drew inspiration from early 20th-century ads, while Carvalho's 2025 identity for Suei reflected 1970s advertising aesthetics. Biabum's 2024 design for Salva Bar showcased Risograph textures, and PS2's Bar Aperitivo evoked the charm of 1970s Italian summers. This trend mirrors a nostalgic shift amidst São Paulo's real estate transformations. Local highlights include Arado's online shop and the Galeria Superfície exhibition running until 17 October. Elaine Ramos, a graphic designer based in São Paulo, authored this piece.
Key facts
- São Paulo's bar and restaurant branding has shifted from minimalist, geometric identities to playful, illustrated ones.
- Estúdio Caxa created the identity for Exquisito in 2020, drawing on Latin American vernacular culture.
- Arado, founded in 2018 by two designers from Minas Gerais, designed the identity for Duas Irmãs brewery in 2022.
- Sarau's 2024 identity for Bar Ovo referenced lithographic labels, matchboxes, and early 20th-century advertising.
- Flora Carvalho's 2025 identity for Suei used heavy outlines and brush-like typography, with three different ways of writing the bar's name.
- Biabum's 2024 identity for Salva Bar in Rio de Janeiro combined Risograph textures, hand lettering, and stamps.
- PS2's identity for Bar Aperitivo references 1970s Italian summers, with record-like illustrations and olives as O's.
- Galeria Superfície opened a new space in Vila Madalena with a group exhibition on view until 17 October.
Entities
Artists
- Elaine Ramos
- Flora Carvalho
- Pedro Almeida
- Manoel Neto
- Dudu Azevedo
- Jorge Amado
- Anitta
Institutions
- Estúdio Caxa
- Arado
- Sarau
- Biabum
- PS2
- Cervejaria Duas Irmãs
- Bar Exquisito
- Bar Ovo
- Salva Bar
- Bar Aperitivo
- Suei
- Laska
- Familiar Faces
- Galeria Superfície
- Ubu
- It's Nice That
Locations
- São Paulo
- Brazil
- Minas Gerais
- Rio de Janeiro
- Bahia
- Barra Funda
- Vila Madalena
- Hamburg
- Germany