Hrncheck

Hrncheck is a specialty coffee place located in Bratislava’s Old Urban Market, a modernist building defined by openness, movement and layered inner circulation. The goal was to create an identity that responds directly to the architecture and the constant flow of people through the space.

The interior is built from exposed tubes, glass and open structures, evoking hidden streets and everyday motion. This spatial logic became the conceptual foundation of the visual identity.

The name Hrncheck itself works as a linguistic intersection. Hrnček is the Slovak word for “cup”, while check introduces an international layer and a sense of action. This overlap of meanings informed an identity based on movement, rhythm and transformation.

I developed a typographic-led system rooted in a geometric, retro-inspired aesthetic that complements the character of the building. Custom lettering gradually evolved into a bespoke typeface used consistently across visual communication and within the physical space.

A key element of the system is a set of typographic motion marks – checkons – inspired by comic-style movement lines. Integrated directly into the typeface, they allow the identity to express motion, energy and tempo in a flexible way. Each syllable behaves slightly differently, giving the system a sense of rhythm and continuous movement, mirroring the dynamics of the market itself.