Criollo Pastry — Calgary, YYCBrand Direction — Round 1
CriolloPastry
Asian flavours, executed with classical French technique — named for the rarest, most aromatic cacao bean.
Founder — Sandy Shek01 Colour02 Logo03 Choosing04 In Use05 Investment06 Next
01
Colour Palettes
Three grounds, one gold. Each palette is legible at body-text size and stamps cleanly in foil.
Palette 1 — Blanc & Or
Purest maison
Ivory paper and true metallic gold: the Ladurée register, where scarcity reads as restraint rather than ornament.
Ivoire
#FBF8F3
Ground
Champagne
#F1E9DA
Support
Or Criollo
#B8912F
Primary
Or Foncé
#8C6D22
Accent
Cendre
#6B6152
Support
Encre
#14110E
Ink
In use — box card
Criollo
Hojicha Millefeuille
Roasted green tea crème légère, caramelised puff, Criollo nib.
Contrast check — WCAG 2.2 AA
Encre #14110E on Ivoire #FBF8F316.6:1 ✓ AAA
Cendre #6B6152 on Ivoire5.3:1 ✓ AA
Or Foncé #8C6D22 on Ivoire (headings)4.7:1 ✓ AA
Or Criollo #B8912F is a foil/metallic accent only — never body text. Where gold must carry type, use Or Foncé #8C6D22 (the adjusted, passing value).
Palette 2 — Criollo
Origin, dark ground
The same gold set into roasted cacao and espresso — the bean itself as the brand's ground, for boxes, night signage and foil.
Cacao
#2A1D16
Ground
Espresso
#160E09
Ink
Or Criollo
#B8912F
Primary
Or Clair
#E2C87F
Accent
Cacao Clair
#7C6552
Support
Crème
#F5EFE6
Support / type
In use — box card
Criollo
Black Sesame Paris-Brest
Toasted sesame praliné, choux, fleur de sel.
Contrast check — WCAG 2.2 AA
Crème #F5EFE6 on Cacao #2A1D1614.3:1 ✓ AAA
Or Clair #E2C87F on Cacao9.5:1 ✓ AAA
Or Criollo #B8912F on Cacao5.6:1 ✓ AA
Body copy on this ground is set in Crème #F5EFE6 — the original mid-brown caption colour failed and was lightened to #D7C9B6 (7.9:1 ✓ AAA).
Palette 3 — Jade Atelier
East meets West
White and gold with one muted celadon — the Asian half of the brand stated once, quietly, the way a single leaf sits on a plate.
Blanc
#FFFFFF
Ground
Celadon Pâle
#EDF1EC
Support
Jade
#4E7A6B
Accent
Jade Profond
#28453C
Support / dark ground
Or Criollo
#B8912F
Primary
Encre Froide
#1C1C1A
Ink
In use — box card
Criollo
Yuzu Tarte Sablée
Kōchi yuzu curd, brown butter sablé, torched meringue.
Contrast check — WCAG 2.2 AA
Encre Froide #1C1C1A on Blanc17.4:1 ✓ AAA
Jade #4E7A6B on Blanc4.9:1 ✓ AA
Blanc on Jade Profond #28453C10.2:1 ✓ AAA
The first jade tried (#6E9B8B) failed body text at 2.9:1; darkened to #4E7A6B, which passes AA and still reads celadon.
02
Logo Directions
Three treatments of the CP monogram — hairline, solid, and plain roman — each shown as a full lockup and at favicon, avatar and seal size, gold on white and reversed white on dark. All are single-colour and foil-safe.
Direction A — Didone Interlock
Hairline, couture
A high-contrast didone C and P share a single stem, so the two letters read as one built object rather than two initials. The hairlines are the luxury signal — it is the most Ladurée-adjacent of the three, and the most demanding to print well.
A · Lockup on white
CRIOLLO
Pâtisserie · Calgary
A · Lockup on dark
CRIOLLO
Pâtisserie · Calgary
A · Monogram — gold on white, three sizes
32 px · favicon
96 px · avatar
Full · seal
A · Monogram — white on dark, three sizes
32 px · favicon
96 px · avatar
Full · seal
Where the hidden S lives
The shared stem is the hidden S: in the signature variant that vertical is drawn as a stretched italic S, so the C, the P and Sandy occupy the same spine.
At 32 px the hairlines thin out — use the monogram at a minimum weight-corrected size, or the solid Direction B mark for favicons.
Direction B — Bold Serif Column
Solid, foil-ready
A weighted serif C and P divided by a single hairline column — the mark holds at any size and debosses cleanly in gold foil. It is the most robust route: confident on a shopfront, still legible as a 32 px avatar.
B · Lockup on white
CRIOLLO
Pastry · Est. YYC
B · Lockup on dark
CRIOLLO
Pastry · Est. YYC
B · Monogram — gold on white, three sizes
32 px · favicon
96 px · avatar
Full · seal
B · Monogram — white on dark, three sizes
32 px · favicon
96 px · avatar
Full · seal
Where the hidden S lives
The dividing column is the hidden S axis — a single vertical that can be swapped for a fine S rule on stamps and stationery without changing the silhouette.
Two classical roman capitals set side by side with no interlock at all — the mark behaves like a maison initial stamped on paper rather than a logo. It is the quietest and the most contemporary in use, because it lets the pastry and the photography carry the brand.
Choose one palette and one logo direction — say "Palette 2, Direction B" — and Round 2 refines that pair alone: final letterforms, packaging, and proofs.
04
The Brand In Use
Supposing you choose Palette 1 — Blanc & Or and Logo Direction A — Didone Interlock, here is how it lives on the things people actually hold and scroll past.
Physical — packaging
RETAIL SET — TO-GO BAG, GIFT BOX, DESSERT PLATE, NAPKIN, PACKING PAPER
The full customer moment: gold-foil monogram and wordmark on the bag, monogram on the drawer box, and the pastry plated. Type and mark are one colour throughout — foil on ivory board.
Tissue wrap & ribbon
CRIOLLO
Monogram as a repeat at 55% opacity, one-colour print. The gold ribbon carries the wordmark reversed in white.
Napkin — foil monogram
CRIOLLO
Centred monogram, one hairline rule, wordmark beneath — the smallest possible statement on the cheapest possible surface.
Cake box lid — 8" square, foil deboss
CRIOLLO
Pâtisserie · Calgary
Flat artwork for the large cake box: monogram, hairline rule, wordmark, location — gold foil on ivory board, ruled 1 cm inside the die line.
Digital — Instagram system
Profile — avatar & grid (4:5 tiles)
criollo.pastry
Asian flavours · French technique Calgary, YYC
yuzu
CRIOLLO
Every third tile is a brand tile — the grid reads as a pattern before any single photo does.
Post template — new item (4:5)
New
Black Sesame Paris-Brest
Saturday drop · 10 am
Type-only post for announcements: monogram top-left, headline bottom-left, one hairline rule.
Photo frame template (4:5)
Photograph
Yuzu Tarte Sablée
Ink border with a caption bar — the pastry photograph stays untouched by type.
Story frame — 9:16
Sold out by noon
Thank you, Calgary
@criollo.pastry
Story layout: gold progress rule, monogram top, message centred, handle at the foot.
Physical mockups are real product photography with the branding applied; the digital templates below use placeholder blocks where your own photos would sit.
05
Investment Options
Three ways to bring this to life — pick what fits, add on later.
Most Basic
Tier 1 Logo Redesign
$500 CAD
New logo design, 2–3 concepts to choose from
2 rounds of revisions
Final files: PNG, SVG, PDF — full colour + black & white versions
Best Mix
Tier 2 Logo + Colours + Templates
$2,000 CAD
Everything in Tier 1
A defined colour palette for consistent use everywhere
3–5 ready-to-use templates (Instagram post, menu card, packaging sticker)
Highest Value
Tier 3 Full Rebrand + Web Styling
$3,500 CAD
Everything in Tier 2
Complete style guide: typography, imagery direction, packaging system
Web style spec (colours, fonts, look & feel) ready to hand to your website developer
Ongoing Design Support — $200/month (first year)Monthly social templates, seasonal graphics, and small design tweaks whenever you need them. Included with any tier above.
Agencies typically charge significantly more for this kind of work — this pricing reflects working with a solo designer, and the collaboration on your end along the way.
06
Next Steps
Which palette do you like best? Then which logo direction speaks to you most?
Answer those two, tell me which tier fits, and Round 2 refines that single pair — final letterforms, packaging and proofs.
Criollo PastrySandy Shek · CalgaryBrand Direction — Round 1
