Menu Design
Purpose
Chatters Neighborhood Bar & Grill, located in Pittsburg, Kansas, sought to elevate their brand perception by redesigning their menus. Their goal was to move away from a vibrant, maximalist style toward a more sophisticated and refined aesthetic. Two menus were required, one for lunch and one for dinner, each conveying a clear distinction. The client desired to utilize the unique white toner printing capabilities of Printing & Design Services on dark paper for a striking presentation.
Target Audience
The target market for the redesigned menus comprised young and middle-aged adults, aged 21-53, with an annual income range of $31,000 to $56,000. This demographic seeks a refined dining experience at an accessible price point.
Goals
The project aimed to create a series of menus (lunch & dinner) that balanced simplicity and elegance with a touch of boldness. Maintaining consistency with the existing brand identity was a key objective.
Software & Hardware
Design: Adobe Illustrator
Food Illustrations: Adobe Firefly
Printing: Ricoh 7200 digital press
Finishing: Almeister Auto Laminator with soft touch lamination, Champion paper cutter, and Diamond Electric Corner Rounder
Printing: Ricoh 7200 digital press
Finishing: Almeister Auto Laminator with soft touch lamination, Champion paper cutter, and Diamond Electric Corner Rounder
Process
Mood Board
The client envisioned a refined aesthetic similar to the menu from Bristol Seafood + Steak + Social in Kansas City. Drawing inspiration from the client's example and other trendy, minimalist menus, I curated a mood board to establish the design direction.
Design
After establishing the overall look, I began by setting up artboards with guides for a structured layout. Next, I developed a comprehensive style guide with paragraph and character styles for consistent text formatting.
Revisions
The initial design direction was well-received by the client. Minor adjustments were made, including reducing the menu size from 11 x 17 in. to 10 x 15 in. To further elevate the "fine dining" feel and address the initial emptiness, I incorporated food illustrations created with Adobe Firefly for select menu items. Utilizing generative AI allowed me to create these specific food items in the particular style that I envisioned would fit well with the established menu design.
Printing & Finishing
To achieve the desired visual impact, the menus were printed with a special technique. The lunch menu utilized Royal Fiber cover paper for a subtle, off-white textured appearance while the dinner menu truly stood out with Epic Black cover paper and white toner printing. This required a specific printing configuration where the black toner position was swapped with white, allowing the black graphics to be printed on top of a white base.
Following printing, the menus were laminated with a soft-touch finish using an Almeister Automatic Laminator. Precise cuts were made with a Champion paper cutter, and the Diamond Electric Corner Rounder added a polished touch by rounding the corners.
Final
The final menus exceeded the client's expectations, achieving the desired balance of simplicity, elegance, and a touch of boldness.
Original Menu
New Lunch & Dinner Menus
Credits
Menu food illustrations were generated using Adobe Firefly.
