The Pepper Kitchen and Bar brand was designed by MENOSUNOCEROUNO out of Mexico. The brand keeps true to a black and white color palate making the imagery and typography speak loudly about the vibe. The typography is extremely geometric and semi reminiscent of an art deco style. Very swanky.

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Thanks to the people at UnderConsideration’s Brand New for the tip.

Today marks the 40th anniversary of Starbucks. It’s also the day when the new “STARBUCKS”-less Starbucks logo and identity go into effect and we have some nice photographs of the new cups, cup holders, and shopping bags right here. As part of the anniversary, Starbucks is also introducing a new coffee blend, called Tribute, and a new range of sweet snacks called Starbucks Petites. On their site be sure to check out a cute animation on the home page.

I thought this brand identity was a bit stark at first, but now seeing it in action it’s taken on some life. I really like the execution and delivery. Each pieces supports and accentuates the overall vibe.

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La Castagnas Trattoria is a Germanic restaurant whose identity was designed by Christian Knopf while at the agency Permanent. The identity covers the many bases of a restaurant brand and sets a rustic tone with beige textures mixed with raw ingredients. Very well done and thought out.

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Here’s the long and the short of it: Be who you are and don’t stray. Own your brand. Own it 110% all the time. We say this all the time to clients in the restaurant industry. Define your brand promise then stick to it. Don’t waste time with ideas that don’t reinforce the brand.

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The Still Liqour brand was designed by Javas Lehn in Seattle Washington. There isn’t much information given on the sites, but it looks like a speak easy type of establishment in an industrial part of town. The logo sends this vibe home with its Model T icon and simple, typeface. The contrasting black, white and red make a strong statement as well.

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Another damn good branding job by Hyperakt. This one is a comprehensive brand identity design for a pop-up restaurant called Apartment 138.

We worked closely with Apartment 138 owner Ted Mann to convert his vision for this one-time apartment-turned hip Carroll Gardens restaurant into a fully realized brand. We stayed true to the space’s history, using the building’s original address plaque and vintage wallpaper as visual springboards for the logo, custom place mats, engraved wood coasters, and elegant signage.

The work is well thought out and delivers on an expected vibe. Clean, crisp and on point.

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Hey everyone. The book is still with the editor, however; we should have it together and published by mid-March 2011. I’m extremely excited about this first attempt at authorship. Anyway, I’ve been asked to provide details on pre-ordering. There is no “pre-order” persay, however, if you signup for the pre-ordering email list, I’ll blast out when it’s available. Here’s the form:

The Sullivan Street Bakery brand campaign was put together by Hyperakt in Brooklyn, NY. They briefly talk about their project:

Sullivan Street Bakery makes some of the best bread in New York City. With almost two decades under its belt, it’s a venerable institution in the city’s culinary circles with many top restaurants serving its bread daily. Jim Lahey, the man behind the ovens, is expanding the bakery’s product offerings. He asked us to work in partnership with creative director Greg Crossley on developing a packaging system that would extend the visual language of the bakery across all new and future products.

The design is earth with strong typography. The color palate, accentuated by the muted earth tones pops and grabs attention. It’s a true testament to making things interesting without using photography everywhere.

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Sugar is a bake shop/café designed by the people over at Seamless Creative (another agency featured in Fire It Up) This restaurant brand identity is well crafted from start to finish. The logo is hand drawn to mimic the style of chocolate drizzle. The explanation of the project is as follows:

This new dessert-focused eatery on Manhattan’s Lower East Side needed a whimsical image to showcase their confections. A hand-drawn logotype and delicate pattern were applied to signage, window graphics, and menus to create an elegant playful identity.

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The HinduKusch brand was designed by Robinsson Cravents out of Columbia. The restaurant itself is based in Germany and has a unique look and feel. Usually restaurant default to warm colors to evoke feelings of hunger and energy. This one relies heavily on green and gold.

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