Sanatorija Gin Bar Branding and Visual Identity

Holy Affair was approached by gin aficionados who wanted to open the best gin bar in the country. Their ambition needed the corresponding identity for the new brand. In recent years Vilnius city has seen a major rise in the HoReCa market. A vast quantity of newly opened bars, cafes, and restaurants have engaged in a ruthless competitive fight. To shine in this environment a new bar needed a distinctive brand identity and a strong message that could reach customers who have seen it all.

Design Process

So what should a new gin bar be to outspeak everyone else in the category? It’s shouldn't be a bar! It should present itself as something completely different. While analyzing possible brand identity vectors we decided to do something outlandish but at the same time very relatable. Thus the name “Sanatorija” (or simply SPA in English) was born.

Lithuanians have a long tradition of enjoying spas and sarcasm, so it was a perfect fit for the brand identity. A bar that calls its customers patients and serves various treatments, wellness programs and recreation plans in the form of cocktails and parties.

Visual theme

Benas Čereškevičius wanted to promote “Sanatorija” as some magical fairytale-like place where you can escape from your daily routines. So visual solutions relied on the scenes from Wes Anderson movies – captivating nature, surreal details, and sarcastic narratives.

“In Sanatorija we offer our weary patients various gin treatment programs. It is said that swimming in our subterranean gin springs has many healing properties such as bolstering opinion about yourself, lowering the consistency of boredom and making you feel like a rock star after a rehab. Come and try it for yourself.”