Post about marketing today and not the usual farmers’ marketing kind.
I’m learning so much at ICE already and it is fantastic to be exposed to great industry professionals and their points of view from the get-go. Yesterday Roberta Ronsivalle from Mucca Design came to present the work that her company does for restaurants and other food (and non-food) businesses. Mucca design brand identities, logos, menus, and even things you never think about anyone designing like coasters, matchboxes and labels on jars of artisanal jam!
Some of Mucca’s clients were particularly interesting from my point of view since the concept I am working on right now is a variation of a French bistro and the firm has worked with some of the best-known bistros such as Balthazar, Pastis, and Parc.
It was fascinating to hear Roberta speak about the re-branding that they have done for Brooklyn Fare or the mythology they have created around the fictional backstory of Schiller’s or Domaine de Canton and all the research that went into informing the design of the check-holders at Morandi.
I learned a lot about the ‘visual language’ used by the designers and the owners of a restaurant or specialty store that creates the authenticity and familiarity of their experience. The most interesting backstory, to me, was about the different logos used throughout Pastis with fonts, typefaces, and colors that don’t seem to go together. It turns out that the concept behind that was to create a history for the restaurant as if it passed through several generations and/or owners and the everyone who owned the restaurant added something to it.
I also realized that interacting with the location was as important as interacting with the audience and that more than ever, it is imperative to have a ‘smart’ design behind your menu layout. After all, it is your most powerful marketing tool (which is why I am a little freaked out that I have about a month to design my own).
I am starting a new tag/category called ‘Culinary school!’
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