Restaurant Branding Fit for a Silver Platter

Call us tortured designers, but being exposed to really bad menu design in an otherwise decent establishment can be slightly agonizing. A business lunch with the Barbour crew inevitably ends up being a design critique of the menu (good or bad) upon the first few minutes of being seated. Yes, it’d probably make for a good SNL skit, but in all seriousness, menu design is an important detail that is sometimes missed. That is certainly not the case for this Italian restaurant, Ristorante Firenze, located near, of all places, Frankfurt, Germany. Stuttgart-based designer Sarah Le Donne is tremendously talented, and really shows her design chops with this branding package. We particularly love the typography and adept use of color. Le Donne explains: “After a small refresh of the existing logo, the task was to create a totally new concept and design for menu and wine cards, vouchers, brochures, business cards, letterheads and a website. The idea behind the identity was to lay the focus on the fresh products the restaurant is well known for. Also the classical Italian colors are reinterpreted in a modern way.” Really well done.

More restaurant-related design here and here and here.

Via sarahledonne.com

Corporate Identity Bliss

At the risk of sounding totally geeky, there’s nothing quite like a really well executed corporate identity. No matter the industry, effective branding design gets us excited. This example, by German-based designer Luca Fontana, of a logo and identity for a plant nursery in Italy is a perfect specimen of a very thoughtfully conceived and flawlessly executed package. From Fontana’s choice of color and fonts, to his embrace of the circle as a foundation for his forms, we can’t say enough about our admiration of this work.

Other examples of brilliant branding here and here and here.

Via Behance

Standing Ovation-Worthy Design

Design and marketing for the arts often goes one of two ways: really good or really bad. From what we’ve seen, budgets often correlate directly with how well such materials are conceived and implemented. In this instance, German designer Caroline Grohs imagines a beautiful corporate identity for a fictitious theater company (with a robust marketing budget). Grohs’ concept and design execution are outstanding. From the color palette, to the imaginative wire-frame graphics, to the superb typography, this really is a well rounded piece. Bravo!

Via Behance

Fantastic Work of David de la Fuente

We love the work of Spanish designer/art director David de la Fuente. His identity and typography work is impeccable. And, appropriately enough, he even has a piece honoring February 14th. Check out some of his work below (identity for a sport fishing shop, business card for shower and bath screen specialist, film poster, identity for international sports schools, identity for translation and training services company, poster campaign for occupational risks prevention), and more on his site.

Via daviddelafuente.com