Duration
6 weeks
Tools
Adobe InDesign
Adobe Illustrator
Procreate
Project brief
Redesign the logo, menu, and business cards for a local restaurant. The client wanted something timeless, yet referenced the visual aesthetic of the culture the restaurant is about.
1. Understand
. . . the problem
To determine the challenges faced by the current designs and what the vision was to update these, I had in-depth interviews with my client.
What I discovered:
- The culture of the type of food the restaurant served and the design materials did not match
- Designs looked outdated and visually overwhelming
- No cohesive design aesthetic
. . . the constraints
Strict budget: the budget affected the level of complexity of the redesigned materials
2. Research
Disclaimer: Research participants equals a mix of employees, customer's regulars, and potential customers
Affinity diagram
Data from research were compiled into an affinity diagram
Primary research: surveys (customers and employees) and user interviews
Key insights:
- Customers = regulars & word-of-mouth → current designs had limited appeal to potential customers
- Customers found the current menu bloated
- When compared to other local restaurants based off of brand presentation, participants chose other businesses 83% of the time
Competitive analysis:
I visited several local, small-business restaurants and previewed their branding materials to understand a design space that was new to me
Key insights:
- Competition had basic, yet professional looking brand materials
- Menus that stood out to me included both pictures AND graphics
-Not many had business cards unless they also had a catering service
3. Ideate
Brainstorm sketches and conversations:
I brainstormed 10 different logo ideas to present and discuss with my client.
We also talked through organically how the menu layout should be redesigned and the new business cards
Logo considerations
Business card considerations
Business card considerations
4. Design
Logo creation:
Final logo was picked by the client
Old (top picture) versus new (bottom pictures)
Old logo
New logo
New logo
New logo
Business cards:
*some personal info was changed as per clients request
Menu redesign:
Old (top pictures) versus new (bottom pictures)
Old design
Old design
New redesign
New redesign
5. User testing
A/B testing:
There were two designs that the client could not decide on. So I proposed we run an A/B style test by printing a small number of each business card.
Whichever card was taken the most was the one that would be produced.
Casual conversation was also had with customers and employees about these redesigns to gauge their thoughts and feelings.
Feedback:
- Many stated the new cards looked contemporary and professional
- Many loved the monstera leaf motif
Final deliverable:
Logo
Business cards
Trifold menu back
Trifold menu front
Reflection:
My client was very satisfied with the newly designed materials, and I'm also pleased by their outcome. This was one of my first client experiences, so I learned a lot about how to communicate ideas and collaborate with a client, timeliness, professional correspondence (contracts, email etiquette, etc.), and how to deliver design files.