Logo and Business Cards for Patrick Rocha, Travel Guide, Cape Verde

Branding (logo, style book, business cards)

Patrick Rocha is a travel guide based on Sal, one of the islands in the Cape Verde archipelago off the west coast of Africa. He works with tourists visiting the island, helping them book activities — island tours, diving, snorkelling, fishing, jet skiing, zip-lining, quad and buggy rides, horseback riding, and catamaran trips. Most of his clients find him on the ground, through word of mouth or by picking up his card at local spots.

He wanted a shark in his logo. It’s the animal he identifies with, and it has a real connection to the island. Lemon sharks breed in Shark Bay on the east coast of Sal, one of the few known nursery sites for the species — juvenile sharks gather in the shallow water there year-round, and guided visits to the bay have become one of the island’s main attractions. Beyond lemon sharks, nurse sharks, tiger sharks, bull sharks, and hammerheads are also present in Cape Verdean waters, though the larger species tend to stay far offshore. Sharks are part of the place’s identity, and for Patrick, including one in his branding was a straightforward decision.

Making the logo

The logo is entirely hand-drawn. The shark’s body opens into a banner shape that holds the name and tagline in hand-lettered type. Rather than placing a separate shark illustration next to the text, the lettering sits inside the animal itself, so the whole shape works as a single mark. The proportions had to balance two things: the shark needed to be recognisable as a shark at any size, and the text inside it needed to stay legible, even on a business card. The hand-drawn approach was intentional. Patrick’s business is informal and personal, built on direct contact with visitors, and the logo needed to reflect that rather than look corporate or generic.  The hand-drawn line is approachable, and it fits the way Patrick actually operates.