Rebranding My Firstborn: A Serbian Underground Legacy
This is a rebrand of an underground club I co-founded with friends 11 years ago in Serbia.
Our hometown, once one of the biggest industrial cities in former Yugoslavia, had been a magnet for underground culture since the ’60s. Think: Detroit or Bristol vibes. Amidst the concrete, industrial ruins, and chaos, a raw and vibrant scene emerged, a scene that finally faded in the early 2000s due to the rising monoculture.
So, we had to build a little asylum, for ourselves and many, many others. A space for jam sessions, exhibitions, poetry nights,... With a lush garden and Bela Tarr-style surreal interiors, it quickly became the backdrop for countless music videos from artists across the Balkans.
It is a safe space for the marginalized: LGBTQ+ communities, ethnic minorities, diaspora. An infamous local bar and nightclub with visitors from all over the world.
Naturally, it wasn’t all smooth sailing, bankruptcy, losing the house, getting it back, surviving every crisis like we always do.
Even while living in the Netherlands, studying and working in design, I stayed connected, designing visuals, organizing events, launching crowdfunding campaigns, creating video content and social strategies, and flying in Dutch artists for a little cultural exchange.
The brand always leaned into our region’s signature darkness, sarcasm, and rockstar aloofness. This reimagined identity, rooted in a twisted Garden of Eden, stays true to that spirit:
because it’s always been about storytelling with edge.
This is a rebrand of an underground club I co-founded with friends 11 years ago in Serbia.
Our hometown, once one of the biggest industrial cities in former Yugoslavia, had been a magnet for underground culture since the ’60s. Think: Detroit or Bristol vibes. Amidst the concrete, industrial ruins, and chaos, a raw and vibrant scene emerged, a scene that finally faded in the early 2000s due to the rising monoculture.
So, we had to build a little asylum, for ourselves and many, many others. A space for jam sessions, exhibitions, poetry nights,... With a lush garden and Bela Tarr-style surreal interiors, it quickly became the backdrop for countless music videos from artists across the Balkans.
It is a safe space for the marginalized: LGBTQ+ communities, ethnic minorities, diaspora. An infamous local bar and nightclub with visitors from all over the world.
Naturally, it wasn’t all smooth sailing, bankruptcy, losing the house, getting it back, surviving every crisis like we always do.
Even while living in the Netherlands, studying and working in design, I stayed connected, designing visuals, organizing events, launching crowdfunding campaigns, creating video content and social strategies, and flying in Dutch artists for a little cultural exchange.
The brand always leaned into our region’s signature darkness, sarcasm, and rockstar aloofness. This reimagined identity, rooted in a twisted Garden of Eden, stays true to that spirit:
because it’s always been about storytelling with edge.
