Creating corporate identity
for restaurant L'OMBRE logo
2017
Background
America is the land of opportunity. But just how many people decide to try their luck in the US? KOLORO was approached by a customer who decided to open a restaurant in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, USA. He found investment for the project and needed to develop a corporate identity for the future establishment.
Objectives set by the customer
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To conduct market research on Mertle Beach restaurants, cafes and bars, analyzing the market and competitors;
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Development of brand style and presentation of 20 variants of names of the future restaurant with different positioning, focusing on the collected analytics;
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Creation of a logo in 3 variants and development of corporate identity with visualization on the facade and various media;
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Creating a logobook.
Market Analysis
Market Characteristics
There are more than 1,900 restaurants within the county, as well as dinner theaters, nightclubs and 460 hotels. The market is diverse and the flow of tourists is subject to seasonality. A special place in the menu of establishments and their specialization is occupied by fresh fish and seafood. The average check in the study area for dinner (without alcohol) is $20-35 per person (middle segment and Cheap meal). In a VIP level restaurant the average check starts from $60.
Target audience: general data
Myrtle Beach is visited by more than 14 million tourists a year, with nearly 100,000 coming from Canada, Germany and the United Kingdom. Myrtle Beach is the second most popular beach in the United States. Restaurant Business magazine marks this location as the No. 1 in the U.S. for potential growth.
Also, Myrtle Beach is ranked as one of the 100 best cities to live in retirement in America, according to Where to Live in Retirement magazine. Therefore, besides tourists, the target audience of the restaurant in Myrtle Beach will be retirees who have moved here to live.
Naming
Keywords: warmth, harvest, naturalness, vases, garden, blooming, care, glass, stained glass, home cooking.
Glass House is a restaurant where all vegetables are home-grown. A large amount of glass in the interior. Simple but comfortable furniture. The presence of a terrace.
Keywords: heat, harvest, natural, vases, garden, blooming, care, glass, stained glass, home cooking.
Le Havre is a trip from Myrtle Beach to France: a French port just steps away (the waves in the background of the second photo are not a trite nautical pattern, nor is the crab in the 3rd photo). A sanctuary for those who are tired of resting. An island of tranquility within a resort town. Take a break from vacation, forget about everything, just sit down and eat.
Keywords: shade, rest, relax, lounge, in the shade, terrace, respite, pause, transition, degrade, ombré.
L’Ombre (literal translation is “In the Shadow”). Feelings of calm, weightlessness, coolness, relaxation. You could serve some refreshing spiced water (or even lavender, there are recipes with it added) as a UTP. Lots of soft furnishings and bedding to the wooden chairs that are placed outside.
Keywords: trident, sea, ocean, Poseidon, water, foam, sand, emblem, nets, fish, shells, ships. Millimetris is the place to dive into a nautical theme. Atmosphere of the sea floor, different shades of blue color in the interior.
Keywords: height, flight, freedom, clouds, birds, joy, serenity, sun, inspiration, stars, purity, aspiration, depth. The main idea is minimalism in details and a sense of freedom. Nothing extra but delicious food and a state of serenity.
Keywords: source, history, roots, era, ancestors, forest, tradition, foundation, kinship, memory, family, parents. A beautiful and kind establishment suitable for the whole family. When decorating the halls it is possible to take any epoch in the history of the USA as a reference point.
Keywords: France, Provence, grapes, south, lightness, elegance, flowers, herbs, lavender, ceramics, coast. The atmosphere of the azure coast and French country, which visitors feel right from the entrance to the institution
Keywords: respectability, importance, service, style, prestige, quality, elegance, aesthetics, image, perfectionism. An institution of the highest caliber. Strict dress code of waiters and service staff – suit pants, white shirt and black vest. The table linens and dishes are custom made. Strict but expensive style in decoration.
Keywords: literature, history, part, book, beginning new, library, novel, plot, hero, scenario, play, narrative, adventure. Chapter is a place that holds a whole host of stories and mysteries.
Argumentation of the chosen option
“l’Ombre” was one of the options that was successfully tested for negative reactions. It also showed high recognition in a focus group test of Americans. It was read in different ways, but the associative lineup was overwhelmingly positive.
The main plus point of this option is its versatility. Having chosen it, we had the opportunity to build several positioning options: ghost, transition, and shadow.
From the point of view of psycholinguistics, “l’Ombre” won out over the other names, as it is not associated with the feminine gender, but only with the middle gender (for those who read “ombre”) and the masculine gender (for those who read “l’ombre”). The domain we needed was free, though it should be said that this was the initial condition and all the options presented were free on .com.
Logo development
Thumbnails
Working out the concepts
Final version
Central to the lavender logo was the idea of transition, transformation and stadiality. It is revealed with the help of lavender branch, which the designers reflected in 3 variants:
saturated branch;
medium complexity branch;
minimal complexity and saturation.
The lavender logo successfully reveals and complements the restaurant’s idea and name. Lavender is a symbol of Provence, together with the French name it complements the brand positioning – refinement, sophistication, elitism.
You can create a corporate identity for your restaurant at KOLORO! Work with experienced agencies to get the expected results.
Protection zone
The guard zone is the area around the branded block that should not contain any other graphic elements, text, layout edges. The size of the protection zone is equal to the abstract module (X). X in this case is equal to the height of the letter “O” in the logo.
Signature colors
Branded fonts
Creating the corporate style of the restaurant
Visualization of the restaurant logo on branded media
