When you need to differentiate...
A new type of project for me - an existing customer setting up a new business running parallel to their existing one - that needed to be different.
The French 1/4 Café is a long-term customer and good friend, who open 5 days a week mornings and afternoons. Looking to scale up, they had an idea for an evening dining experience, at the same premises, piloting 2 nights a week - a burger bar.
I worked with the team from day one, when the idea was just a spark, to look at the competition, develop the menu and even a lively session brainstorming names.
Next stop, drawing up lots of variations on cooker rings and burgers, but I circled back to the simplest one as the brand was already feeling solid with a quirky name and dominant colour scheme.
From here, I moved into small-business start-up support mode. I've done this for a few clients, getting their social media accounts up and running, covers/avatars up, Google My Business and the client plugged in as an admin.
Followed up by teaser social media posts to run up to the 1 April grand opening.
Onto a fun bit for me as a more traditional designer, getting to put something in print.
I supported the team with copywriting on the menu content, following the brand tone of voice, a cheeky and fun persona that's all about the burgers - and the script wrote itself to go with a circular die-cut menu!
This was a point of difference for the restaurant and a way to inject the brand's personality to the customer's experience.
Final phase was attending opening night and being treated to a proper feed of their Emperor Burger and handing it all over to the owner.