The Blue Rose Café

Welcome to my senior capstone project - a re-branding of the vacant café space in the Art & Design Building at the University of Illinois. The café closed its doors in 2020 and they never re-opened, but I’ve always thought that a café would elevate the experience of art professors and students here, while also facilitating a sense of community. For added fun and character, while also expanding on a project in conjunction with my Mirror’s Twin branding, I dashed in a Parisian twist to this dreamy café/pâtisserie.

PASTRY BOX

My work on this project takes inspiration from the use of color and other formal design from Wes Anderson films. Specifically, in The Grand Budapest Hotel there is a pastry box from a candy shop called Mendl’s that I find so beautiful and delicate. My favorite Rose Bleue deliverable happens to be this pastry box, complete with a ribbon.

COFFEE

I imagine this cafe first and foremost as an aesthetic space to settle down for hours and hours on a laptop. I want there to be plants, warm garden string lights hanging from the ceiling, and cozy leather couches for lounging.

As a major piece of study culture, coffee plays a starring role in the lives of many college students. La Rose Bleue offers a unique coffee blend, distinct from the other cute spots on campus. If I know one thing that college students in this town are obsessed with, it’s a themed café. My personal favorite is Café Paradiso which has an Island theme that seems to transport you off to Aruba. Similarly, La Rose Bleue will take you to the heart of Paris.

MENU & UNIFORM

In addition to coffee, the menu offers a variety of traditional French breakfast and lunch options, as well as desserts and pâtisserie.

These boards are designed to be posted on the wall behind the front counter. I used generative AI to create most of the images you see here.

KRANNERT TRANSFORMATION

I took this picture of the barren café, then used photoshop to convert it as best I could into the space I dreamed up. It’s not to a tee, but it gets the point through.

20 Roland vinyl die cut 1-inch stickers (in the cup)

EXHIBITION DISPLAY

I worked with curators of the Krannert Art Museum (in the same building as the café) for my final display in the senior exhibition. With my sketch, the curators found a space for me and provided the pedestal I needed to display my deliverables.