A visual identity just as Instagrammable as the ‘the world’s most Instagrammed cake’. Sydney bakery Black Star Pastry has been on the ascendancy, from local pastry maker to global cult status, racking up millions of views, thousands of loyal followers and generating hype around its ‘original cakes woven together with poetic storytelling’.  Working with Japanese illustrator Noritake, (known for his monochrome drawings for books, magazines and fashion) Studio Ontagaro developed a creative direction to support and further this global rise and create cross-cultural symbols and ‘ambassadors’ that, not just exist in the physical and experiential realm of the retail environment, but better extend this into the online world and seek lifestyle status through merchandising and storytelling.

It has been fascinating to watch social media extend its reach over the last decade. This was initially through brand marketing and advertising activities (birthing the influencer economy), and now shaping brands more directly. The temporality of social media hype creates an opportunity that can leave as quickly as it arrived, and demands a transition, evolving a large but potentially ephemeral interest into a sustained fandom. Plugging it into and forming a part of popular culture and essentially evolving pastry into a lifestyle brand is where Studio Ongarato step in.

Studio Ongarato’s visual identity for Black Star Pastry (BSP) is graphic and immediate. The contrast of black and white, and the use of ample white space around appealing visual motifs assures a decent social shot. No colour popping or filter needed. Even if the surroundings are visually busy and colourful, the brand stands out. This is clearly built not just to function on the street, but leverage some of the social and algorithmic mechanics of online platforms (although it needs to jump into video). It’s does not rely on artesian pastry cues, luxury motifs or legacy storytelling. The imagery draws attention, it connects and provokes enquiry through its pop-culture references.

The images themselves, the thing that draws people in and forms the central part of the BSP identity, adeptly blend enduring Western pop-culture legacy (Bowie and Black Star) with the contemporary style of Japanese illustrator Noritake, transposing some of the cultural cache around a look and feel that has been plugged into fashion. There’s a smart cross-cultural appeal here. The West fascinated by the cute and endearing characters of Japanese culture (Miffy, Gudetama) and the appeal of Western pop icons to those elsewhere. This is developed further with the interplay of characters of ‘boy’ ‘dog’ and ‘hedgehog’, the star and illustrative style setting these clearly in the same world, and developing the universal themes of ‘friendship and sharing’. There’s a bunch of references in the mix here, some slight twists on familiar motifs that make these work so well.

Above all this is the notion of lifestyle, the creation of a dedicated group/community to further the marketing objectives of brand. Brands help people develop interests, discover others with those same shared interests and then leverages fandom to drive interest and growth organically. Organic and viral social media posts being one part of community formation with merchandising and community identifiers solidifying this. Anthropomorphising brand, storytelling and cute characters have been an enduring method to connect with people and build worlds and narratives. Today, you can stick two eyes and a bum on an egg and it reaches cult status from East to West.

Talking at length about the hype and virality of social media suggests a superficiality and temporality. BSP may have been born from, or at least benefitted from this, it is by no means artifice. It’s hugely intentional and elegant in its references, method and quality. The visual identity is lovely. But wow. The architecture of March Studio and Linehouse is phenominal. Beautifully. Striking. Unexpected. It’s alluring and totally Instagrammable, but with the creativity and craft that transcends the temporality of an IG shot. This is a brand that is being built to last. iIt not only networks the popular culture of past and present, East and Westin a subtle way, but also by challenging conventions, and transcending food and beverage, moving into lifestyle and fashion categories. It’s necessary today to enable flexibility and growth, not set down rigid guidelines. In the words of Studio Ongarato, ‘from Sydney to Shanghai, the brand has become an icon, with a unique story that’s covetable and worthy of sharing as much as the product and experience’. Nice.