Moodboard

Capturing the Essence

The moodboard for Menina Moça reflects the layered, tactile soul of the brand. A harmony of literary intimacy, jazz rhythm, and urban softness, blending Lisbon's Pink Street atmosphere with analog textures and cultural references: scribbled book pages, moody lighting, and expressive linework evoke the brand's voice.

Design Process

Layering Methods

Rather than polishing away its rawness, the identity embraces the handcrafted imperfection of offbeat rhythms, cut-and-paste textures, and imperfect letterforms, emulating the improvisational spirit of jazz. The system is intentionally expressive, yet structured enough to allow consistent application.

To define the soul of Menina Moça, we used a Tension Mapping method — a tool that helps clarify what makes a brand unique by identifying the contrasts it holds in balance.

Logo

Lyrical Fusion

The logo for Menina Moça was built on a question: what happens when you fuse the structure of music notation with the expressive quirks of typography?

Before putting pencil to paper, we grounded the design in a multi-layered research phase. This wasn't just about understanding Menina Moça's brand personality, but exploring the cultural intersections that define the space: Portuguese and queer literature, jazz improvisation, and the visual cues tied to each of these worlds.

The result was a concept that aimed to melt letterforms with musical notation, without losing readability or becoming overly abstract.

The Menu

Adding Poetry

The menu design aimed to be playful and colourful, while remaining clear and easy to read. It was conceived to feel as though poets had left handwritten notes and small poems along the edges, gently easing guests in and immersing them in the culture of the space from one of its primary entry points.

Posters

Digital Meets Analogue

Set on Lisbon's famous Pink Street, it felt only natural that the colour palette of the posters should reflect the vividness and joyfulness of the street itself. The posters were conceived almost as if they might pop out from the walls of Lisbon, created through a mix of analogue approaches such as stamping, sketching, and collage to convey the artistic energy of the space.

Merch

Adding Character

The merchandise needed to remain true to the crowd, where you are likely to find a mix of book lovers, musicians, tourists, and wanderers, all sharing one thing in common: an openness to crafted design and a playful aesthetic. As the space is part wine bar and part bookshop, it was important to create objects that reflected this segment of the target audience, through notebooks, tote bags, pencils, and bookmarks.

Branding Book

Defining Guidelines

The branding book was created as a practical tool to ensure the identity could be applied consistently over time. It details the logo system, typography, colour usage, and brand applications, providing clear guidance for both print and digital use. Designed to be inviting and easy to navigate, the book reflects the brand's colour palette and typographic character, avoiding the feel of a rigid technical manual.