The Second Wind Pirate Café began as a small passion project: a way to gather my friends under one roof for the ultimate camping trip—Burning Man. What started as a playful idea quickly grew into an unforgettable experience on the playa, where I, as the camp founder and leader, had many challenges to solve, from leadership, logistics planning, to graphic design, to community planning.
Our mission was simple: “Come get your second wind.” Each night at 9 p.m., the coffee bar opens and we brew gourmet coffee under the desert stars. Everyone working the bar is dressed as a pirate, and no one ever breaks character. The atmosphere is equal parts theater, hospitality, and survival—an oasis of energy in the middle of Black Rock City.
Logo evolution
2018
2020
2023
2025
Our main offering is a coffee shop that opens at night. The bar I designed had to meet many requirements: it was to withstand the desert weather with its constant windstorms, and it had to be easy to construct and deconstruct, it had to be made from off-the-shelf materials readily available at any hardware store, it had to be sturdy enough to hold people standing on top of it, and many other minor details. The bar went through several iterations, starting as a simple wood counter to its current 360º metal form.
Store Front Design
2016 - 2017
2018 - 2019
2022 - 2023
2024 - 2025
Community Planning
Since 2014, the Café has evolved into what many campmates jokingly call a “traveling circus,” though a highly organized and efficient one. Every year brings new challenges and new opportunities to improve. I designed the camp to use modular shade structures that adapt to whatever space we’re assigned by the Burning Man Organization (the Borg).
2024 Layout
2023 Layout
Advertising
As much fun as our coffee shop was, it would be nothing if we dont’t have visitors, and Black Rock City has an average ot 70,000 citizens divided among hundreds of camps. Advertising was key, but the channels we had to promote the Second Wind Pirate Cafe were limited to the Burning Man Radio station, printed materials, and giveaways.
Second Wind Pirate Cafe | 60-second radio spot. Year 2022
Written by: Link Salas | V.O. Talent: Brant Barthle & Eliza Spear
Second Wind Pirate Cafe | 60-second radio spot. Year 2023
Written by: Link Salas | V.O. Talent: Eddie Mondress
Giveaways
Giveaways are a delicate matter at Burning Man, as these cannot become garbage (Material Out of Place); they have to be memorable, and they have to be reusable each year. I opted to create memorable stickers that would encourage our visitors to use them in their cups or other belongings. I came up with 27 different stickers that my pirates would hang out through Black Rock City, inviting visitors to our café.