Red Eye Espresso is a small, independent coffee shop in Toronto that seems to do a great deal to reflect its artsy neighbourhood. Located steps away from the Art Gallery of Ontario (AGO) and the Ontario College of Art and Design (OCAD), the shop features a minimalist interior design, a rotating range of art, sculpture and jewelry on the walls and a big stack of sketchbooks on a communal table.

To reflect that passion for artistry, the shop enlisted a team of freelance creatives led by group CD Mike Dietrich (who was formerly at Cundari and who might be best known for his work on the BMW “Ultimate Racetrack” video), who created a series of posters that show all the moments when we might want to get some shuteye but have to keep plugging away. But here’s where the artistry comes in: though the images look like they were carefully created in Photoshop or Illustrator, they’re really photographs of actual Red Eye cups, which were sent all the way to Paris so artist Anastassia Elias could create the papercraft scenes you see inside.

“We wanted the execution to feel handcrafted, just as each beverage served there is,” Dietrich told Stimulant in an email.

Credits:

Brand: Red Eye Espresso
GCD: Mike Dietrich
Art Director: Mike Dietrich
Copywriter: Maggie Pycherek
Artist: Anastassia Elias
Photographer: Shanghoon