CASE STUDY
PANADERÍA 2D
PROJECT: Panadería 2D
CLIENT: Panadería 2D
ROLE: Brand Strategy · Creative Direction · Brand Identity · Illustration · Art Direction
01 / OVERVIEW
Panadería 2D is a New York bakery specializing in Mexican pan dulce, mainly conchas and pan de muerto. The brief was pretty open: I was given the name, a preference for pink and skulls, and the freedom to take it from there.
I developed the brand from scratch, from the initial concept to the full visual identity. This included the logo, custom typography, type hierarchy, color palette, and a series of hand-drawn illustrations. I wanted to create something that felt Mexican, playful, and a little different from your typical bakery branding.
02 / THE CHALLENGE
The starting point was pretty simple: a name, pink, and skulls. From there, I had to figure out how to bring all these elements together into a brand that felt cohesive and had its own personality.
I wanted to avoid the usual look of a traditional Mexican bakery, I wanted it to feel modern while still keeping a strong connection to Mexican culture. The challenge was creating something that felt fresh and a little unexpected without losing that connection.
03 / THE STRATEGY
Before getting into the visuals, I wanted to understand what made Panadería 2D different and where it could fit in New York's bakery scene.
The idea was to create a bakery that brought Mexican pan dulce to a different audience, while keeping its connection to its roots. I looked at the local market, other bakeries, the brand's story, and the people it wanted to reach.
This helped define the direction: a bakery that felt Mexican, but not overly traditional; elevated, but still warm and approachable. That balance became the starting point for the creative direction.
BRAND RESEARCH: Looked into the bakery’s background and origin story.
MARKET RESEARCH: Researched New York’s bakery scene and identified relevant competitors.
COMPETITION ANALYSIS: Compared competing bakeries, their products, positioning, and price points.
SWOT ANALYSIS: Identified the brand’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats.
POSITIONING: Defined the brand’s objective, mission, vision, and unique selling proposition.
VALUES: Established artisanship, cultural celebration, and excellence as its core values.
TARGET MARKET: Defined primary and secondary audiences and developed buyer personas.
03 / CREATIVE DIRECTION
The client came in with only two requests: pink and skulls. The bakery's main products were conchas and pan de muerto, so I wanted to find a way to bring those elements into the identity without making it feel too obvious or predictable.
But there was more to the bakery's story. It started during the pandemic, when the owner began baking conchas in her apartment to bring a little sense of home to friends she couldn't see in person. She'd hop on her bike to deliver them, with her dog Cleo riding along in the basket. What started with a few deliveries eventually grew through word of mouth.
I wanted the identity to capture some of that personality: playful, welcoming, and a little unexpected.
Once I had a better understanding of the bakery, I started looking for inspiration. I was in Mexico City at the time, so instead of scrolling through Pinterest, I went outside and started walking around the city.
That's when I came across a building with lettering that completely caught my eye. I took a photo, and it ended up becoming the starting point for developing a custom typeface for the brand.