Client: Havana Cigar Lounge

Branding is not one-size fits all. As a brand-focused design studio, Co-motion partners with a variety of companies that range from startups building from the ground up to established companies with brand equity in their markets.

Building a brand

Unique to the midwest market, Havana Cigar Lounge brings a true one-of-a-kind restaurant experience for cigar smokers by offering VIP memberships with a private lounge, full bar, and an impressive menu by well-known executive chef, Ricky Martinez.

When Co-motion met with Havana, they had an existing logo and a physical space that was under construction. Our objective was to create a brand that could connect the two experiences together.

Co-motion collaborated with Havana’s owner and Director of Operations to establish a brand direction. With a focus on customer experience, the brand needed to feel luxurious with a touch of allure. Every detail should be thoughtful and purposeful.

Inspired by their cigar offerings and space design, Co-motion explored heavy browns and off-white tones with copper foil detail. This color palette became the bridge between their logo and physical space.

Three typefaces were introduced to add flexibility to the brand: DM Serif, a serif with personality used for headlines; Krona One, an extended typeface used for subheadlines and call outs; and Proxima Nova, a clean sans serif used for body copy.

From lifestyle to digital

With an upscale physical space, Havana’s website needed to match in quality and experience. Instead of a traditional approach, Co-motion created a fixed Homepage design that acted as the site navigation. By restricting the content on the Homepage, Havana could drive users to the most important areas of their website: About, Menu, Members, and Contact.

Bold headlines and moody photography elevated the website to match the sophistication of the cigar lounge.

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A cigar lounge encompasses many different challenges from a web design perspective. Co-motion was able to help us overcome them all.
Omar Barham, Owner

Most cigar lounges are solely focused on cigars. Havana wanted to enhance the experience with luxury dining that included a diverse menu and refreshing cocktails. Their online presence needed to feature these services and also highlight their executive chef’s culinary vision.

Moody and vibrant photography brought the menu to life. Our goal was to capture the authentic color and freshness of each ingredient. Each plated dish became a piece of art that reflected the Havana experience.

With focused lighting and warm background tones, this photography style was also used for team headshots, cigar, and cocktail photography.

For the cocktail photography, cigar smoke was introduced to add depth to the images and tie in the full lounge experience.

Transforming the experience

Havana launched their brand and website at the beginning of the COVID pandemic in March. They quickly pivoted to carryout only and offered free meals to all first responders. Even with limited capacity, Havana sold out of VIP memberships within 30 days of their website launch and is currently accepting requests for their waiting list.

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Co-motion was excellent to work with. They had ample knowledge, experience, and key partnerships to create an outstanding product for the unique needs of our business. Furthermore, they’re professionalism in communicating and explaining the details for us to understand made the process seamless and enjoyable.
Rob Coombes, Director of Operations