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, Amelie, leaving me to run the website build from start to finish. Read more about her brand refresh here.
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.
