Brief - Bistro Branding

In this brief we were given the task of rebranding the Staff Bistro at Rye Hill. This brief included creating a logo, a full stationary set and a menu design.

Before getting into the brief I had to do some indepth research if I was going to design my own logo. This really was an eye opener as it was helpful to see what makes a successful logo that can be decades old but never seem out of date. I found out through my research that the key to a timeless classic logo was a simple but effective idea, a prime example is the Nike swoosh logo it was designed in 1971 by Carolyn Davidson but still look great on their products 40 years later.

Once I decided on a name to brand the Bistro I started out with some very rough logo ideas.

I liked the idea of the logo being the first letter of the Bistro's name, so once I had decided on an idea I developed it further.

I had quite a few variations of my logo design but in the end I went with the original sketch that I drew at the early stages of my designs.

When I decided on my final logo design I experimented with some colour themes but I knew that if I specifically picked a colour for my logo then it wouldn't be very flexible when it came to different colours I could use in the rest of the branding.

I decide that to be as flexible as possible I would have my logo in black and I could use modified versions in the branding if it called for it. Like the two other versions, in one I used a clipping mask to create the logo but with a picture of some grass that I took as the fill, but if didn't work I had a plain green version as well.

After my logo design was finalised I moved on to stationary design. I knew that I probably wouldn't have a very busy and detailed stationary set because I naturally go with more minimal designs. I decided not to use a lot of colour in the stationary set and instead used a lot of white and some pictures that I took myself for the reverse of my stationary.

Looking back I am quite pleased with my final outcomes especially since it was the first brief we were given in the FdA course. I like my stationary designs and I'm glad I managed to incorporate my own pictures instead of just using stock images. This brief was all about creating a brand and I think my final outcomes have that sense of unity, in they have a look and feel that link them together as a brand should.