GRAPHIC DESIGNER / ART DIRECTOR
GRAPHIC DESIGNER / ART DIRECTOR
DESCRIPTION: Brand design refresh for a chain of restaurants in New Orleans and surrounding areas.
OBJECTIVE: Tie Zea’s current flat 2D visual identity in with the rest of the brand.
COMMENTS: I used Zea’s warm cozy restaurant interiors, slow roasted meats, and craft beers as inspiration for the textures and colors applied throughout the revised pieces.
RESPONSIBILITIES: Art direction, production, photo styling. Work with client and account executive on concepts/design development. Produce all pieces and supervise printing.
EMPLOYER: Hoffman Miller Advertising. New Orleans, LA
Zea’s logo had a ton of brand equity in it. Redesigning it was out of the question, so I gave it a little more texture and depth to bring it from 2D to 3D. Which in turn inspired Zea to update a few of their exterior signs and other items throughout their restaurants.
The existing style guide was updated with new graphics and content.
The updated design was applied to new and old restaurant signage.
I spent a few days with one of the owners/chefs to shoot pics of food they offered for party and events. He (being a photographer also) shot the photos and I styled, then ate the food.
Zea already sold their famous sauces, that adorned their award wining dishes, directly to patrons in their restaurants. They decided to take the next step and sell them in local grocery stores. We redesigned their labels and helped them explore new container options. They remained with current bottles to keep unit cost down.
Zea was originally a rotisserie and brewery — co-founded in 1997 by brewmaster Jim Patton. His beers paired perfectly with the modern fresh comfort food served at Zea’s fine restaurants. The labels were printed 4c + spot white on silver foil with graphics that reflect the qualities of each beer.