INDUSTRY Hospitality SCOPE OF WORK Visual Identity Realignment Branded Collateral THE CLIENT Black Gold is the original venture from hospitality duo Azem Dzevlan and wife Aisha — also behind the fine-dining icon, Normandy Wine & Grill. Nestled in Richmond’s bustling café belt, Black Gold has become a Melbourne institution, known for its flavour-forward brunches and serious coffee credentials. While Normandy is the elegant dinner party, Black Gold is the cool best friend — bold, confident, and always a little unexpected. Richmond locals treat it like their second home but people travel across town for a taste — think wagyu Benedicts, chilli crab scrambles, Ruebens that are raved about and that truffle mushroom toastie (my personal fave!). With Azem championing top-tier produce and Aisha leading the warm, welcoming front-of-house, Black Gold is where bold flavours meet café culture — and every detail oozes premium, without being pretentious. THE BRIEF Aisha approached First Sense with a clear intention: create a café menu that felt anything but stock standard. Something bold, fresh, and with a little edge. In the process of designing that first menu, First Sense spotted an opportunity to elevate the visual identity as a whole. The exterior of the café — with its textured, matte black façade — became the heartbeat of the new identity. We injected that distinctive materiality into the logo itself and a simple menu project quickly transformed into a reimagined visual identity — one that feels tactile, sensory and elevated. THE PROCESS We began with the menu — the hero touchpoint for any café. Drawing inspiration from the café’s name and coffee heritage, we divided it into Liquid Gold (drinks) and Solid Gold (food), setting the tone for a unique, ownable language. To elevate the visual format, we moved away from traditional layouts in favour of a centred margin — allowing each item to balance beautifully on the page. It created an unexpected symmetry, a small detail with high design impact. We then carried the refreshed visual system across items such as coffee cups and greaseproof paper, tying the experience together and adding another layer of brand storytelling for takeaway customers. THE OUTCOME Black Gold has solidified its status as a cult-favourite café — not just in Richmond, but across Melbourne’s thriving food scene. The impact? Black Gold was crowned People’s Choice for Favourite Café 2025 in Time Out Melbourne’s Food & Drink Awards, a title that speaks volumes about the connection they’ve built with their fiercely loyal community. They’ve also been featured in Sitchu’s “Where to Find The Best Coffee in Melbourne”, and Urban List’s “Best Sandwiches in Melbourne for 2025”, not to mention rave reviews from food critics and content creators like @venuebible, @thesandwichrun, @breakfastshirtss, and @dub.eats.everything. It’s not just hype — it’s earned attention. With the strategic thinking and creative clarity of First Sense behind them, Black Gold has grown from neighbourhood café to Melbourne institution — their brand becoming a north star for how hospitality venues can lead with both substance and style.