WOPA and Pain Plaisir create a collage between bread and city

The new visual identity of Pain Plaisir, a #nobullshit WOPA project.

All the visual clichés associated with the artisanal bakery contrast strongly when you put them next to the eclectic spirit of the Bucharest urban environment. And yet, bread is as grounded in Little Paris as it is in the real Paris, and everywhere in the world, albeit a little differently.

So is Irina’s partnership, a Romanian graduate of Cordon Bleu cooking and patisserie classes in Paris, with Tom, a Briton from a family with a gastronomic tradition for generations, pastry chef at the 3 Michelin starred Parisian restaurant Pierre Gagnaire. They mixed the spirit of Bucharest, the savoir-faire of artisanal bakery products from the French capital, and a touch of English flavor, to open Pain Plaisir over 7 years ago. And the name, Pain Plaisir, is a little different – it reads in French, although the anglophile tendency may cause other associations.

WOPA has taken on the role of creating a visual language that speaks clearly about the importance of a simple food, often ignored, in the context of the hustle and bustle that surrounds us.

We took everything associated with artisanal bakeries, put them nicely aside and went in a completely different direction when we started working on this project. Rather, I looked for contrasting and familiar elements in the Bucharest reality and I placed the bread in the center. As it also is in the center of our reality, either we love it or we try to get rid of it “, explains Dragos Ometita, creative director at WOPA.

I was born in this city, raised on the streets and between its buildings. That was my inspiration for the new Pain Plaisir language, based on collage and contrast, lacking in elegance, but as strong and textured as the crust of their breads. The logo is clear, direct, concise and without meaningless flourishes, inspired by the tags that proudly decorate the city walls. The new brand tells us without a doubt that it is baked in the heart of the city “, explains Alexandru Lazareanu, head of design at WOPA.

Irina Stancescu, co-founder of Pain Plaisir, about the collaboration with WOPA:

The idea behind Pain Plaisir was and is very simple. We wanted to make bread and artisanal pastry in Bucharest, as we learned in France, fresh products every day, with good ingredients, technique and “pleasure”. We wanted to excel, replicating the experiences we had working in some of the most famous places in Paris. And this is what we want even now, 8 years later, in a new, fresh concept that reflects the principles that guide us in life.

The WOPA team understood our need to bring what characterizes us front and center, the passion, technique and creativity of the bakery, with international inspiration, and the changes can be seen in the company logo and slogan, product packaging and the images we use in locations and on social media. We have also developed a brand manual out of the desire to preserve the unity of our communication, and as we evolve, we will bring improvements.

In the graphics we find a current style – the collage, and the collages created by WOPA reveal the combination of urban elements and Pain Plaisir products. We really liked their proposal and we felt that it represented us, as it pulled our heartstring by having an association with art. Collage is a complex and simple form of expression at the same time, which covers many facets and can be translated into different shades, depending on the viewer, making possible playful and instinctive associations.

Due to the disproportionate elements and stories that the graphics convey, which largely cover the walls and furniture of our locations, the consumer has the feeling that he enters a special, playful world, that pushes the limits of the imagination, managing to challenge him to discover and it makes him identify with them. ”

Pain Plaisir has two bakeries in Bucharest, on Barbu Delavrancea 1 and on Puțul lui Zamfir 60, and their products are present in over 25 restaurants and bistros in Bucharest.

From Pain Plaisir: Irina Stancescu & Tom Rees – Founders; Mihai Bonca – Marketing Consultant

From WOPA: Dragos Ometita – Creative Director, Alexandru Lazareanu – Head of Design, Adrian Rosianu – Senior Graphic Designer, Irina Blansek – Copywriter, Oana Danila – Account Director, Ana Stan – Account Manager

Founded in 2011, WOPA is a full-service advertising agency that offers ATL, BTL, Digital, Social Media, Branding and Production services for clients in key industries – FMCG, beauty, white goods, food & beverages and pharma.

The agency’s portfolio includes Romanian and international companies: Agricola, Stella Artois, Corona, Alka, Vincon, Alexandrion Group, Medicover, Lidl Discount, Sensiblu, Novo Park, Universitatea Romano – Americană, Avon Cosmetics, Daikin, Syngenta Agro, L`Oreal and many others.