The Rewards of True Collaberation

When it comes to branding a new restaurant the first order of business is “a big discussion about the restaurant, what it is, what kind of clientele they expect and what they want the logo to do for them.”

A restaurant’s logo helps set the tone of the meal to follow, from the signage outside to the typography on the menu. First impressions are vital in the ultracompetitive restaurant biz, and executing those few letters and occasional graphic just the right way is crucial.

Translation: Ditch the free fonts that came with your pc, do some serious and real type research and focus on the core aspects that embrace the spirit of the place.

If you're lucky enough and have the luxury of being able to collaborate with your clients like one of my all time favorite designers Louise Fili, then you've probably got some great work in your book.

Communication between the client and the designer is vital when creating any new identity. Without it, well, we've all seen examples of logos and signage that a one point had the potential to be smart, appropriate, and unique but end up missing the mark - usually due to either a tight budget, poor planning/lack of time or the pompous and visually unsophisticated short sightedness of the client that believes he can do it all himself without the aid of a professional visual communicator.

The exterior presentation of the logo – aka the signage – can have a major impact on the design. “It can’t be a very long logo if there is a short space for it so we have to take that into consideration very early on,” she added.

In regard to the menus, the end product must be flexible enough for frequent updates. “The design is about 1% of my work,” said Fili, “and the rest is figuring out how to do it so it doesn’t get messed up.”

Read the rest of Garth Johnston's Zagat piece: A Logo Is Worth 1,000 Words.

Check out the attention to detail and amazingly elegant work of Louise Fili.

That's Right,

HMK

Thanks to Louise Fili for the inspiration and the smart folks over at Design Observer.