The Brief
Sippy Tom is a boutique cafe nestled inside the historic Winchcombe Carson Woolstores in Brisbane's Teneriffe — a place for relaxing, socialising, and great food and drinks. When the team came to us, they had an existing site that no longer reflected who they were: muted, dated, and missing the warmth and personality of the actual venue.
The catch? They needed the site delivered on a small budget.
The Challenge
A two day budget for a full website build is not a typical project timeline. There's no room for lengthy revision cycles or exploration phases. Every decision had to count from the start.
The brief was clear: lean into the cafe's fun, social personality. The space is vibrant and eclectic — the brand needed to match that energy.
Brand Refresh
Before writing a line of code, the brand was refreshed. The old logo was a generic serif wordmark in dark maroon tones. The new identity took a bold swing: a chunky retro-display typeface in terracotta orange, paired with playful abstract line work that reflects the relaxed, social atmosphere of the venue.
The brand was rolled out immediately to physical touchpoints — takeaway cups, coasters, and A-frame signs — so the new look launched simultaneously across digital and physical. This brand refresh was led by the in-house graphic designer at SLATE, leaving me to run the website build from start to finish.
Website Build
The Webflow site was designed to mirror the cafe's personality: warm cream backgrounds, bold orange typography, rounded borders, and photography that shows real food and real people. Navigation is kept intentionally simple — Menu, Drinks, Book, Functions — because that's all a cafe customer needs.
Key functional features include:
- CMS-driven menus so staff can update seasonal offerings without touching code
- ResDiary booking embed for seamless table reservations
- Photo galleries showcasing the food, drinks and atmosphere
- Functions page for event and private dining enquiries
Outcome
The full project — brand identity, physical collateral design, and live Webflow website — was delivered and launched within the two-day window. The new identity gave Sippy Tom a distinct visual presence that sets it apart from generic hospitality brands and genuinely reflects the warmth of the space.
