AREAS OF ILLUSTRATION - A menu card

For this exercise you are asked to provide an illustration for use on the menu of a

sophisticated, quality fish restaurant – one in a chain sited in major European cities. The

menu uses fresh ingredients and the ambience of the restaurant is modern, bright and

contemporary in design. Any food depicted needs to be visually appetising.

Although the image will be used at a small size on the actual menu, if it is successful the restaurant would be interested in also using the image as a logo on their stationery and vans. As such the image will need to be reasonable simple and clear.

You will probably want to work on the artwork at a large scale but you need to provide an example reduced to 40mm x 40mm as it will initially be used.

Analysis

I need to design an illustration for the restaurant menu. The restaurant chain is located in major European cities. It is sophisticated, modern, and uses fresh ingredients. The image must be simple and clear, as it might be used on their stationery and vans.

Keywords

• Quality

• Modern

• Fish

• Restaurant

• Bright

• Contemporary

• European

• Fresh ingredients

• Simple

• Clear

Moodboard

I researched restaurant interiors, European alfresco dining, logos, colour palettes, menus and dishes for inspiration for my logo. I put the images together in a moodboard.

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Brainstorming

Using my moodboard, I brainstormed some more keywords.

Research-Logos

I've been researching different types of logos to design an image for future branding purposes. I find the various types of logos fascinating and appreciate the role each one plays in building brand recognition. Based on my research, I think a pictorial logo would be the best choice since I don't know the restaurant's name. The restaurant needs an image that could later be combined with the chain's name to create a combination mark.

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Thumbnails

After all the research, I started sketching some silhouette logos for the restaurant. I think silhouette images will be more suitable because I can use blocks of colours that will stand out and be simple and clear with minimal detail.

I began with black and white to capture the right level of detail. Instead of depicting a single fish, I opted to include multiple fish to avoid clichés. My goal was to craft an image that conveys movement, resembling the sea and its waves.

I moved on to Adobe Illustrator to experiment with my ideas from paper to the computer.

I started by putting shapes together to look like a fish.

I then started moving anchor points to give the fish more shape.

I kept to a silhouette to make the image simple.

I experimented with wrap options to give the fish a curvier look.

I then added extra artboards, experimented with the scale of the fish, and tried to create movement.

I created this silhouette image, flipped it, added colour, and used different opacity settings for the fish that were further away.

I created my colour palette from the moodboard. These colours represent the sea and are fresh and simple. I added a contrasting colour for the typography.

Mock-ups

Although the exercise didn't ask for logo mock-ups, I did this anyway to see if it worked. Below are my mock-ups of the menus, van, and stationery.

Menu mock-up

Van mock-up

Stationery mock-up

Reflection

When I first read the brief for this exercise, I was daunted by designing a logo and trying to make it unique. I created moodboards to capture a sophisticated, modern look and feel and developed a contrasting colour palette from the research. 

Researching different types of logos was very interesting and helped guide my direction. A pictorial logo was the best fit for the given brief. Designing a logo without the restaurant's name was challenging, so I may have gone too far by also creating a combination logo. However, it was important to understand how the logo would look if used for branding on stationery and a van.

Reflecting on this project, I'm grateful for the opportunity it provided to further explore and improve my Adobe Illustrator skills. This experience has not only enhanced my technical abilities but also deepened my understanding of the design process.

References

Bokhua, G. (2022) Principles of Logo Design. Rockport Publishers. At: https://www.perlego.com/book/3566299/principles-of-logo-design-a-practical-guide-to-creating-effective-signs-symbols-and-icons-pdf (Accessed: 23/05/2024).

Goldstein, K. (2021) ‘9 types of logos and how to use them effectively’, Creative Blog, 11 July. At: https://www.wix.com/blog/creative/2020/01/types-of-logos/  (Accessed: 28/05/2024).

Morr, K. (2023) ‘Do you know the 7 different types of logos?’, 99designs, 21 February. At: https://99designs.com/blog/tips/types-of-logos/  (Accessed: 28/05/2024).