Old-style woodcut, tradidtional, classic design and earthtone, grainy graphics collide in this identity for a cafe and bakery. The team over at Gerardt & Co., of Minneapolis, put together this extensive identity, advertising and environmental wonder.

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The excellent design team over at P576 in Bogota, Colombia put together this amazing gem of a brand for Paniqueso Café and Bakery. The color palate is earthy in nature which is as expected, but the use of typography is done quite well. The bread bag designs are amazing and definitely stand out alongside the coffee cups. The elements bind together to create an amazing brand identity worth noting.

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The Glass Shop is located in Brooklyn NY’s Crown Heights neighborhood. This branding campaign is perfect for the area because it’s about no frills, no magic, just the simplicity of your local café. That’s a true unique positioning in a city overrun with Starbucks.

The limited color palate keeps things simple but strong. Unique shapes in the logo and strong typography send the message home.

Michael Freimuth did an excellent job on this one.

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Lately food trucks have been trending pretty big. It’s easy to see why, the start up capital is minimal, monthly expenses are small, and you have a completely mobile advertisement rolling down the streets. However, I wanted to showcase this “restaurant” it’s not a food truck, it’s a FOOD BIKE!

DriveBy Sandwich is a food bike. I looked for more information on it, but all I know is it was designed by Hello Monday.

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Good ol’ Iron Hill Brewery. I first found this place in Lancaster, PA. The beer is pretty good and the food is even better. Another local brewmaster had said they stayed just a microbrew because it’s impossible to be both a restaurant and make a damn good beer. I beg to differ.

The logo for Iron Hill uses what designers would consider to be a retro typeface as it’s logotype, however, here it works well. The advertising and positioning puts IronHill in a fun, but still laid back voice. I love the puns and copy written for this place.

The graphic elements are done in a woodcut style illustration which help support the brand’s vibe, while continuing to build it’s visual repertoire.

Here’s how 160over90, the branding firm behind the design, writes about the project:

Enjoy a full-bodied Lodestone Lager or indulge in a crisp Salmon Spring Roll and you will understand Iron Hill stands for quality. This upscale micro-brew house is quickly becoming a regional powerhouse with multiple locations across the mid-Atlantic region and a slew of medals at the Great American Beer Festival. When it came time to create a brand that was as premium as its product, Iron Hill called on 160over90. Print and in-store executions were supported by broadcast that ran on MTV, ESPN, and CNN.

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This isn’t so much a brand as interior design, architecture and concept. This restaurant is on top of an abandoned railway bridge in Amsterdam. An exquisite French / Italian cuisine, large windows offering great views on river IJ and Westerdok plus an elegant interior by Studio Edward van Vliet. Nice work. I found this on Behance.net under Matthijs Borghgraef’s portfolio. Great photography work too.

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I was watching Restaurant: Impossible last night (great show by the way), and one of Chef Robert Irvine’s tactics and his statements struck a chord that hasn’t stopped ringing since I started branding restaurants. Consistency is more than King; it’s the most important thing. It’s Emperor.

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Phenomenal interior and exterior design of this restaurant in Amsterdam. I had to have it on here because it’s pretty unique. Found it on Behance.net

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Cocotte is a French restaurant located inside the Wanderlust Hotel located in the Little India neighborhood of Singapore. The design mavericks at Foreign Policy Design Group put together this highly textural identity that’s overflowing with character.

The identity’s most attractive features on in the simplicity of the type which is built upon by textures like rusted metal. The stationery used for the menu and the website based on a standard ruled tablet paper style. The most notable feature is the business cards, or should I say, business CORKS!

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The Lion, a new restaurant in Greenwich Village NYC, touts a new brand designed by Marque (the people behind Delicatessen). At the brand’s epicenter is a bespoke coat of arms design that immediately sets the tone of the restaurant as classy, upscale and, dare I say it, swanky. The interior features vintage maps and arts works by Warhol, Basquiat, Damien Hirst and David LaChapelle to name a few. The supporting brand materials are simple, with plenty of white space to allow the brand to exist without excess clutter. Simple. Clean. Strong.

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