From Teahouse Al-Hoceima
to Bistro Jasmine

About the question of visual representation
Applied art-project by Daniela Swarowsky
In collaboration with Jan Adriaans (photography), Marlies van Dongen (graphic design) and Joge Girod (architecture)
September - November 2003

The owners of Al Hoceima decided in summer 2002 to completely renovate their teahouse. After the renovation, Daniela Swarowsky continued to conduct most of her Zwaanshals-related meetings and negotiations in Jasmine. The mutual vision for the freshly renovated Bistro Jasmine, their's as well as her's, was to create an open platform for everybody: a place to meet, eat Moroccan food, drink tea or coffee, have discussions, screenings and occasional events. The owners approached Daniela Swarowsky with a commission to create the house style for the new Bistro Jasmine. It took a year in order to establish the necessary trust for such a step!

The team that collaborated on the CI of Jasmine (Huisstijl voor Eethuis Jasmine) attempted to formulate a new manner of representation for Jasmine which would distinguish it from other restaurants and Take Away's with a more open and personal image.

The goal was to create a proud image of a Moroccan Take Away/Bistro with a recognizably individual and modern identity without referring to multi-culti clichés or hip aesthetics. How can new audiences be reached and at the same time offer the owners a representation which makes them feel proud of their new place?

The facade defines the entrance area, the portal, the face, the outside. It is the interface of the shop. The concept was to expose the inside, the heart, the kitchen: warm, inviting, feeling at home, no matter where one comes from and what gender one has. You come in, feel welcome and eat well!

The light box - an integral part of most take-away places - typically shows bad quality photos of the different dishes customers can order. The artists' intention was to use this format as part of the facade design: play with the specific aesthetics in using e.g. the light box as an element but surprise people with a different use of imagery.

The project was only partially realized. The logo and some photos were used by Jasmine but the façade was impossible to realize. This was due to not only the lack of finances but also the various aesthetic visions.