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Projects: ❶ Juke Box ❷ Paloma ❸ Gothiks, Rounded Out ❹ Casa Estrella ❺ FFTA
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@alexavaladez
❹ Casa Estrella
Role: Brand Identity, Packaging Design, Illustration, Print Design
Tools: Illustrator, Photoshop, InDesign
Overview
Casa Estrella is a fictional cocktail bar concept that transforms the idea of a menu into an experience. Each drink on the menu is paired with a one-of-a-kind matchbook that guests receive when they order. These matchbooks are not just decorative—they’re narrative tools that reflect the essence of the drink through illustration, tone, and visual personality. Together, the system becomes a collectible set of memories told through print.
Concept
Inspired by vintage Mexican matchbooks and the visual storytelling of mid-century ephemera, Casa Estrella builds a tactile brand rooted in nostalgia and designed for engagement. Every cocktail is represented by a uniquely illustrated matchbook, with designs ranging from playful and surreal to graphic and gritty. While each matchbook has its own style and subject—such as a pair of jaguars, a sleepy cityscape, or a nostalgic childhood toy—they’re all united by a shared visual system: a custom condensed typeface and the recurring ten-pointed star emblem, used across every element as the logo and brand anchor.
The menu serves as a central storytelling piece. Each cocktail is paired with a short yellow flavor description that highlights how its taste profile aligns with the mood and imagery of its matchbook. For example, La Garra, a spicy tequila-based drink, is matched with the Jaguar Especial design—its “fierce and bold” flavor mirrored in the energy of two tigers in mid-leap. These small written moments help draw connections between taste and design, inviting guests to read, feel, and collect.
Design Approach
• Developed a cocktail menu and six original illustrated matchbooks, each visually tied to a drink
• Paired every cocktail with a flavor description that reflects its mood, ingredients, and corresponding matchbook
• Created a punch card system that rewards customers with a free drink after collecting five stars
• Brought in vintage aesthetics through checkerboard borders, hand-drawn type, textured layering, and bilingual phrases
• Tied all visual elements together using a distinctive type system and the ten-pointed star, reinforcing the brand across varied styles
Outcome
Casa Estrella turns a night out into something memorable and tangible. The matchbooks serve as take-home mementos while adding visual personality to each cocktail. The yellow flavor notes on the menu guide guests through a sensory experience—connecting what they drink to what they see and feel. This project is a study in how brand identity can live in small, printed moments that feel personal, collectible, and built to last.