Eau De Vie
A contemporary African hospitality brand bringing dining, fashion and culture to the same table. Currently being implemented across seasonal experiences, retail, content and original branded objects.
Read the strategy insights
Read the strategy insights
Read the strategy insights
Overview
The Concept
Eau de Vie is a contemporary hospitality and lifestyle ecosystem spanning Dining, Store and Productions. Founded by entrepreneur and cultural connector Trey, it brings food, fashion, design and culture together through considered experiences and a distinctly African point of view.
The Goal
Build a distinctive and scalable brand system capable of positioning Eau de Vie as a leading name in contemporary African hospitality, while giving each expression enough flexibility to evolve across seasons, venues, collaborations and formats.
The Problem
Eau de Vie had grown through a series of successful dining experiences, but its wider ambition was not yet reflected in a clear brand architecture or cohesive identity. The challenge was to unite its expanding offers under one recognisable world.
My Role — Brand Designer & Strategist
I led the brand strategy, architecture and visual identity, translating the positioning across art direction, digital expression, content strategy, website experience, packaging, physical touchpoints and product design. I am currently supporting the brand through implementation and launch.
Overview
The Concept
Eau de Vie is a contemporary hospitality and lifestyle ecosystem spanning Dining, Store and Productions. Founded by entrepreneur and cultural connector Trey, it brings food, fashion, design and culture together through considered experiences and a distinctly African point of view.
The Problem
Eau de Vie had grown through a series of successful dining experiences, but its wider ambition was not yet reflected in a clear brand architecture or cohesive identity. The challenge was to unite its expanding offers under one recognisable world.
The Goal
Build a distinctive and scalable brand system capable of positioning Eau de Vie as a leading name in contemporary African hospitality, while giving each expression enough flexibility to evolve across seasons, venues, collaborations and formats.
My Role — Brand Designer & Strategist
I led the brand strategy, architecture and visual identity, translating the positioning across art direction, digital expression, content strategy, website experience, packaging, physical touchpoints and product design. I am currently supporting the brand through implementation and launch.
Overview
The Concept
Eau de Vie is a contemporary hospitality and lifestyle ecosystem spanning Dining, Store and Productions. Founded by entrepreneur and cultural connector Trey, it brings food, fashion, design and culture together through considered experiences and a distinctly African point of view.
The Problem
Eau de Vie had grown through a series of successful dining experiences, but its wider ambition was not yet reflected in a clear brand architecture or cohesive identity. The challenge was to unite its expanding offers under one recognisable world.
The Goal
Build a distinctive and scalable brand system capable of positioning Eau de Vie as a leading name in contemporary African hospitality, while giving each expression enough flexibility to evolve across seasons, venues, collaborations and formats.
My Role — Brand Designer & Strategist
I led the brand strategy, architecture and visual identity, translating the positioning across art direction, digital expression, content strategy, website experience, packaging, physical touchpoints and product design. I am currently supporting the brand through implementation and launch.
Product design: The Coconut-Water Bottle
The coconut-water bottle was conceived as a signature part of the Eau de Vie experience: turning an everyday refreshment into an ownable hospitality ritual and recognisable brand object. I designed a one-litre transparent glass bottle with a low, decanter-like silhouette and a sculptural wooden closure derived directly from the Eau de Vie mark.
I developed the product concept, proportions and manufacturer-facing technical drawings, specifying its nominal capacity, dimensions, fill level, headspace and proposed closure construction. I then art-directed an AI-assisted photorealistic render to visualise the bottle’s form and materiality before prototyping. The bottle is currently in production, with final engineering and manufacturing specifications being developed in collaboration with the producer.
Product design: The Coconut-Water Bottle
The coconut-water bottle was conceived as a signature part of the Eau de Vie experience: turning an everyday refreshment into an ownable hospitality ritual and brand object. I designed a one-litre transparent glass bottle with a low, decanter-like silhouette and a sculptural wooden closure derived directly from the Eau de Vie mark.
I developed the product concept, proportions and manufacturer-facing technical drawings, specifying its nominal capacity, dimensions, fill level, headspace and proposed closure construction. I then art-directed an AI-assisted render to visualise the bottle’s form and materiality before prototyping. The bottle is currently in production, with final engineering and manufacturing specifications being developed in collaboration with the producer.
Logo mark choice
The Eau de Vie mark is constructed from the two “E” letterforms found within the name, mirrored and brought together to form the silhouette of a traditional African stool. The stool represents the act at the heart of hospitality: offering someone a seat, welcoming them into a space and gathering around a shared table. Designed as both a symbol and a functional brand asset, the mark can move seamlessly from digital avatars and editorial stamps to signage, tableware, packaging and physical objects. Its distinctive silhouette allows Eau de Vie to remain recognisable even when the full wordmark is absent.
Logo mark choice
The logo explorations focused on creating a mark that felt architectural and built from a clear underlying structure. Early directions played with the initials F and B through modular forms and geometric construction, reflecting the logic, craftsmanship, and attention to detail behind custom building. The final mark was chosen for the way it combines those ideas into a compact, distinctive symbol: the letterforms are reduced into a simple framework of lines and shapes, creating a visual language that feels both constructed and refined. Its modular structure also gives the identity a strong foundation to scale consistently across signage, digital applications, print, and other brand touchpoints.
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What the client said
Sylvestre William Neim, Founder — Eau De Vie
"I’ve just gone through the Brand book and I must say it is crazy how much you understand this brand in all its complexity and layers. This document has made things even clearer for myself. The choice of words and terminology, everything on this book is spot on."
Impact
65 pre-orders in 72 hours
The launch generated 65 Eau de Coco pre-orders within its first 72 hours; equivalent to approximately 3.25% of Eau de Vie’s Instagram audience.
A platform designed to grow with the brand
The rebrand established a clearer architecture for Eau de Vie’s expanding world. Its dining experiences, products and future creative ventures can now live within one cohesive brand system, giving the business the clarity it needs to evolve without losing recognition.
Through the new identity system, Eau De Vie achieved:
A simpler path from discovery to booking
The new website transformed a previously manual, DM-based booking process into a clear and independent digital journey. Guests can now discover the concept, reserve their place and receive essential information directly.
Impact
Through the new identity system, Eau De Vie achieved:
65 pre-orders in 72 hours
The launch generated 65 Eau de Coco pre-orders within its first 72 hours; equivalent to approximately 3.25% of Eau de Vie’s Instagram audience.
A simpler path from discovery to booking
The new website transformed a previously manual, DM-based booking process into a clear and independent digital journey. Guests can now discover the concept, reserve their place and receive essential information directly.
A platform designed to grow with the brand
The rebrand established a clearer architecture for Eau de Vie’s expanding world. Its dining experiences, products and future creative ventures can now live within one cohesive brand system, giving the business the clarity it needs to evolve without losing recognition.
Impact
Through the new identity system, Eau De Vie achieved:
65 pre-orders in 72 hours
The launch generated 65 Eau de Coco pre-orders within its first 72 hours; equivalent to approximately 3.25% of Eau de Vie’s Instagram audience.
A simpler path from discovery to booking
The new website transformed a previously manual, DM-based booking process into a clear and independent digital journey. Guests can now discover the concept, reserve their place and receive essential information directly.
A platform designed to grow with the brand
The rebrand established a clearer architecture for Eau de Vie’s expanding world. Its dining experiences, products and future creative ventures can now live within one cohesive brand system, giving the business the clarity it needs to evolve without losing recognition.
EXPLORE MORE CASE STUDIES
Point Quest Group — California, US
Bridging clarity and human-centered design for an education group.
Framework Custom Builders — New York, US
Where architectural vision meets execution excellence.
aise — 2x Behance Award
Minimalism as a mental health intervention disguised as skincare.
Brand Designer & Strategist
leilasohaing@gmail.com ↗
LinkedIn ↗
Behance ↗
Open to remote work