Fifteen years ago, Otto and his wife discovered Lavras Novas during a tourist trip. Over time, they developed a plan to move to the town after retirement. When the time came, they bought a plot of land and built a house, which, due to a small oversight in the design, ended up being larger than expected. As a result, they decided to rent out rooms on Airbnb. The place isn't a bed and breakfast or a hotel; it's more of a chalet or retreat. This situation led to the need to create a logo to represent the place.
From the start, the project had a clear vision of what it wanted to convey: a combination of glamour and rustic charm. The brand is a tribute to a friend who has also been visiting the town with the couple for the past 15 years. They have a habit of jokingly referring to people who are “old” or “worn out” using the term 'cacumbu.' The target audience for this type of tourism is younger and middle-aged couples. Therefore, the logo needed to avoid conveying the idea of a place for elderly people or suggesting either excessive glamour or a sense of decay—both of which were undesirable extremes.
Filtering out some symbols was a difficult process due to the rich history of the town and the references the owners brought to the project.
I narrowed down the options to the royal road that passes through the town, the beautiful landscapes, and the simple lifestyle of the local inhabitants, until I arrived at the solution of the 'kacumbu man.'
The idea was to capture a moment of contemplation, where nothing matters except the connection between the soul and nature.
If you're interested and want to book a room in Lavras Novas, check out the links below
