The Challenge
A group of other design students and I were challenged with creating a restaurant brand that was both relevant and viable during this new way of life as the coronavirus has drastically changed the restaurant industry. After coming up with a concept, our group split up and came up with our own, entirely different branding solutions.
Research and Copywriting for the Rucola brand
Clean Eating during COVID-19
Our team came up with the concept of “Rucola”, a clean-eating venture in Philadelphia primarily focused on partnering with local farms and businesses for fresh foods, and featuring eco-friendly, low-carbon emission methods for delivery and takeout. We chose to focus on the environmental impact of takeout packaging while also considering food variety and boredom. The question became: how can we introduce fun and fresh meals that add variety to someone’s typical meal schedule?
Logo Creation and Branding
In my mood-boarding phase, I ended up with a simplistic, modern aesthetic but wanted to make sure the theme of nature and the environment was not lost. I created a square for my logo and split the 6 letter word RUCOLA into 2 lines. For me, stretching the arugula leaf from one side of the logo to the other represented the sustainability of our restaurant from the beginning (farm-fresh ingredients) to the end (carbon neutral delivery and reusable containers).
While I wanted the colors to be simple, I didn’t want the lights and darks to be too harsh, so I settled on a neutral color palette, using a charcoal grey and an off-white. For type, I used a light, crisp san serif for subheadings and body text, and a somewhat rugged-edged, all-caps font for titles to tie in the natural look. This is connected to the mix of natural, the greens, and modern aesthetics, with bright purple accent and charcoal, I have created so far within my brand.
Reusable Takeout Packaging
Rucola is an environmentally-conscious, takeout-only venture, so I decided to create a takeout bag that has the menu printed on it. Folks can cut it out of the bag and keep it, otherwise it can be recycled or reused. For my takeout packaging, I decided to use glass containers with wooden lids, making them completely reusable. The customer pays a small deposit and then once Rucola picks the containers up the deposit is refunded.
Institution: Tyler School of Art and Architecture
Course: Advanced Graphic Design
Art Direction: Nathan Young
Fall 2020