THE BEGINNINGS!

Before any inkling of a visual language, I always start my creative process with a deep dive into understanding the needs, purpose, and intention of every client to collaboratively establish the mission statement and brand tone that will serve as the foundation for every design touchpoint.

For Golden Diner, we established the brand to be built around creating an atmosphere and homage to the institution of a classic diner as an inclusive & inviting restaurant built for community, with a modern and elevated twist. The identity and design language had to be both nostalgic and refreshingly modern, comfortably familiar yet elevated and reinterpreted for today’s sophisticated customer.

THE INSPIRATION!

Then comes gathering inspiration, clarifying the vision, and a $*!t-ton of mood-boarding. We crafted the brand identity around comfort, community, and an atmosphere of NYC grit woven through every piece of design.

THE ALCHEMY!

Then comes translating the core identity and values into every piece of design to create the foundations of a community outpost and transforming an empty box into an inclusive and inviting watering hole.

This is embodied in an inviting and jovial fat-bottomed custom-type logomarks complemented with a classic serif typography system brought to life to the exterior space in hand-painted, gold-flecked signage greeting you at the entrance. The environment is brought to life throughout the physical environment through a throwback decor enveloped in elements woven with the warm, vibrant, and nostalgic color palette that evokes a blend of familiarity and luxury.

Cheeky menu illustrations are dispersed between the menu like the kitschy clip art found in classic paper diner menus. The menus were given an update with an elevated and detailed style of illustration (by me!).

THE TAKEAWAY!

This was a seminal project in solidifying my identity from fashion designer ➜ to brand designer and afforded me an opportunity to consider every design touchpoint. It was also an exercise in resourcefulness – working in the framework of time and major budget restraints, every part of the project was a masterclass in re-framing seemingly impossible asks by asking “How Can?”.

A year later, COVID found its way into the country and presented the hospitality sector with the biggest challenge they faced as an industry. I was brought back to work with Golden Diner and several other hospitality businesses to design in a wholly different way and find unconventional solutions to the dire ‘problem’ of staying open during a pandemic. This translated into researching and forming strategic partnerships, designing an outdoor patio, working with small business coalitions, many multi-platform campaigns and events, and genuine community engagement. This time also provided clarity in who I am as a designer, how I want to serve the world with creative problem-solving, and how I can create impact and spread positivity by staying true to my values as a person. See a bit of that work in Community Campaigns!