Work - Nook Café
A space of one’s own, but open to all. Nook is more than a café. Or a Costa! It’s a space where identity, history and community meet. It’s whatever students need it to be. A study area, a hideaway, a home.
- Naming
- Visual Identity
- Signage
- Tone of Voice
- Merchandise
- Food & Beverage
Lunch. Learn. Lounge
East London Student Union is on a mission to give their students the best Uni experience. One of their many initiatives includes creating inspirational spaces where everyone can meet, connect, share and unwind. They secured a location at the heart of the Union: the café. We needed to make this the place to go – to represent what ELSU is for students.
Creating a community
The ELSU needed more than a food and coffee outlet. We wanted to brand a space that would ‘speak’ to students, reflect local history, and create a community. The brief asked for a name and identity that would feel rooted in the area’s Docklands past while being fresh, contemporary, and cosy.
Naming Nook
East London’s Docklands are layered with maritime grit, industry, activism, and hidden tales – one of which became our inspiration. Enter the seafaring Royal Navy cat who found safe, hideaways on ships, surviving multiple sinkings during WW11. “Unsinkable Sam” became our muse: resilient, clever, resourceful (like the students). And the cosy places of warmth and refuge he retreated to led us to the name Nook.
A space to belong
At the heart of Nook’s brand is our hand-drawn cat – part mascot, part symbol. Purposely unpolished, it brings the brand’s homely, heartfelt ethos to life. With one simple word and an effortless doodle, we have created a brand that evokes comfort and togetherness. An inviting space where you can catch up, relax, focus, perform, debate, and ultimately feel a sense of belonging.
A symbol of resilience
Since launch, Nook has become the cornerstone of campus life. The brand has sparked student-led content, merch and social storytelling. It also proves that with the right story spaces can become meaningful experiences.
