Logo for South-east Asian restaurant

[themadman]

(Admin code added by Palmer - 698040A)

Hello. I live in Bangalore, India. I’m starting a new South-east Asian restaurant here and want the following designed:

* Logo
* Business card
* Letterhead

Though I said I wanted business card and letterhead designs too, I don’t want you folks to waste time doing them for preliminary logo designs. So what we’ll do is that when we get to a stage where I think that we’re almost there, I’ll post a message and then you can start showing me card and letterhead designs too.

OK, since I haven’t seen any previous restaurant logo design projects, this post will be slightly long-ish to give you enough background and direction. I would’ve designed it myself but time is not something I can spare. As the chef-owner of the place, I have to look after every darn thing. :(

The restaurant’s name is “Shiok” and it will have a tag line of “Far-eastern cuisine”. Shiok (pronounced “Shee-oak”) is Malay/Singaporean slang for “yummy”, “delicious”, “heavenly” and is typically used about food (as in “that chicken rice was really shiok”). The logo should incorporate both the name and the tag line, with the name obviously being bigger. The tag line is so that people know what kind of food the restaurant serves.

The restaurant operates on both "concept" and "cuisine". Let me explain both.

* Concept

Bangalore is a city of young people. There are more people in their 20s and 30s here than in most other cities. This is mostly because of the IT industry that has taken root here in the last 7-10 years. This segment also has higher disposable incomes. While Bangalore has many fine eating joints, many of them are crowded, noisy, or both. Tables are too close to each other, and conversations can be picked up from several tables away. Unless you have the money to blow on a 5-star hotel restaurant (and sometimes not even then), finding a quiet place to have a meal in privacy is next to impossible. My restaurant's core theme is that of warmth, peace and quiet, and privacy. An inviting place where you're not constantly bugged by some kid screaming his lungs out from 3 tables away.

I plan to do this using a restaurant layout (total seating: 60) that hides tables from other tables. Most tables will in fact be booths, separated by tall partitions, walls, and potted plants. Sound-absorbent material will be used in the ceiling to absorb noise so people can dine in peace. The restaurant will also have a higher number of 2-seat tables than most restaurants in the city. Lighting will be planned so that the lights shine dimmer on the table and the surrounding area is brighter. Gel candles will also be there on all 2-seat tables.

Classy, but not sleazy.


* Cuisine: "Chinese" is the most popular foreign cuisine in India. What passes for Chinese food, however, is pathetic Indianised "currified" glop that only vaguely resembles the real thing. Some of the most popular Chinese dishes are purely Indian creations. Only in a few higher end restaurants is authentic Chinese food served. In recent years, Thai cuisine has slowly started becoming popular, but only a few dishes are well known (red/green curry, Tom Yam soup, Pad Thai, and satay, for instance.) These restaurants usually charge more for the exotic food.


Bangalore is yet to be exposed to the range of food from Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Singapore, and China. There is the odd "food festival" that comes for a week or so and disappears, but no restaurant that does justice to the cuisines of these countries. This is a pity because the Indian palate would find the spicy dishes of the region quite to their liking. I plan to be a pioneer and show Bangalore what they've been missing.

ENVIRONMENT
We tried to create an environment where the people at 2-seater and 4-seater tables feel as if the restaurant belongs to them. This means blocking out as much noise from other tables as possible but not turning into a silent library. Soft background music will ensure that pin-drop silence (which makes people uncomfortable) is never there.

The ambience is warm and intimate but never thrusts itself in your face. It does its job without drawing too much attention to itself. It is something you feel and are aware of, but not the "wow, look at that light fixture" kind.

TARGET AGE GROUP mid-20s to 40

RESTAURANT FEEL
Is: Quiet elegance, classy, sophisticated, "mature", warm, intimate
Is not: Flashy, ornate, loud, "funky", "steely"


DESIGN GUIDELINES

Colour: Please, no blue or green because it’s not used anywhere. There’s no white anywhere in the restaurant. A fair bit of wood has been used, and the walls will probably be a light brown. Table linen is peach-coloured.

I prefer flat colour logos because they’re easier to reproduce. Leave the gradients at home. Remember that the logo has to appear on signboards, faxes, business cards, table linen, waiter uniforms, plates, etc.

Font: Don’t dare give me a script font like Shelley Volante or Brush Script. That’s for wedding invitation cards. :lol2:
Something mature and elegant with character is what I’m looking for. Note the age of the target audience. Forget those clichéd “Chinese” fonts too. My restaurant ambience is devoid of all the red dragons etc. typically found in Asian restaurants. That’s a deliberate design decision.




I’ll try and check back twice a day to see how I can help you get there. :tup:

[themadman]

Oops, I didn't give a deadline, did I? (Palmer, how about creating a standard "design brief" template so us mortals don't forget these tiny things?)

Ummm... how does August 28 sound? :unsure:
I'm anywhere from 10-13 hours ahead of USA (I'm on +5.5 GMT Indian time) so that is actually August 29 for me. If necessary, that will give me an extra day to get everything organised so I can shunt it off to the printers for printing my stationery.

Have I missed anything else?

[Palmer]

Originally posted by themadman@Aug 21 2003, 04:50 PM
Oops, I didn't give a deadline, did I? (Palmer, how about creating a standard "design brief" template so us mortals don't forget these tiny things?)
Like this? (http://www.designoutpost.com/guidelines.htm) ;)
5) When the contest has reached the deadline you've declared, now you need to post a message declaring who won.

The other Administrator is eventually going to put an input box that says what the deadline is. That way it won't be forgotten and the designers can refer to it. It's getting a little tough to keep up with things here :blink:

Thanks for the contest :)

[themadman]

Gosh, is nobody interested? This wasn't the response I expected.
:(

[Tonya]

I'm interested! Don't worry, you'll get plenty of submissions. Sometimes it just takes a few days. I'll probably have an entry tomorrow.

[Tonya]

*cut*

[sparkie]

Hmmmm..?

[themadman]

Hi guys.

Here's what I think:

dynagirl, unfortunately, that's not close. What does the symbol mean? Purple doesn't fit in with the theme of my restaurant at all. Think warm, bolder, more passionate colours (but not like yellow and orange). As for the font, I'm guessing that's Century Gothic for Shiok and a variant of Copperplate for the tagline? Too much of a disconnect between the two, and too... anonymous (plain).


Sparkie, I appreciate the image you're trying to create, but your logo looks closer to Japanese or Korean script, and I'm not serving either of those cuisines. Indonesia and Malaysia both use English (Roman) script for their languages, and Singapore too uses English. The "S" looks too much like a Five, and the brown needs to be a touch darker and with perhaps more red in it. Check RGB: 128,0,0 or 153,0,0 for starting points. (I'm not laying it down in stone, just trying to give you ideas.) Remember that it has to stand out on a sign board so contrast is probably a good idea.


Just for some inspiration, take a look at this site (http://www.sexandthekitchen.com). See how distinctive the typeface is. The typeface in this image (http://www.sexandthekitchen.com/occasions/bbq/beachtile5.gif) has its own character. Of course, the feel doesn't fit an Asian restaurant at all, but I'm just trying to convey the feeling I got when I saw it. I thought, "now that's got style!"

[Tonya]

No blues, greens, yellows, oranges or purples... Do you have a color scheme in mind? Also, are you looking for just a unique lettering type logo or do you want some sort of a graphic in it?

[themadman]

dynagirl, I detect a touch of frustration in your post.

Let me answer your questions:

1) Blues and greens -
Blue is not used anywhere in the restaurant so it won't fit in. Few foods are blue so it's not a great colour for the restaurant business. Green is only used in plants indoors so that's not such a great choice either.

2) Yellow: Yellow can mean different things to different people. Its major weakness is that against a backlit white signboard, yellow doesn't have much impact. It also might become next to invisible on faxed pages.

3) Orange: I'm not opposed to all orange, only the "bright hawaiian shirt" kind. :)
If you want to use a burnt orange or one that's less bright, try it out.

4) Purple: Actually one of my favourite colours, but like I said earlier, it doesn't fit in. Imagine a candle-lit ambience with warm glows on the walls. Do you see a purple there?

5) I thought for a long time (weeks actually) about symbols for my restaurant, but since I'm doing cuisines from 5 countries, I couldn't find a unifying element. Chinese use chopsticks, Thais use it only for noodles (using a spoon and fork for other food), Indonesians eat with their fingers. See what I mean?

So I'm thinking that a symbol may not be such a great idea. A type-based logo would probably be best.

Just keep in mind that South-east Asian food is the complete opposite of something like French food. There's nothing subtle about it. Food is seasoned passionately and the flavours are vibrant and assertive. That's one common thing. The logo can reflect that perhaps?


Hope I've given you some more food for thought. Ask more questions any time to clarify. :)

[toniallen]

mmmm...yummy.

http://www.toniallen.com/shiok1.gif

[Tonya]

Originally posted by themadman@Aug 24 2003, 03:27 AM
dynagirl, I detect a touch of frustration in your post.
It was really confusion more than anything. But I think you've cleared up the questions for me--thanks. I'll work on a new design.

[sparkie]

Another try :)

[Taldo]

hi!

[Juvanescence]

Golden brown texture like sun... lays me down...

[chelle]

Hi B)

[themadman]

Sorry for the delayed feedback, folks. Starting a restaurant means you're out most of the day setting up tons of stuff.

OK, here's what I think:

toniallen, nice and elegant, but unfortunately too close to the logo of Orange (http://www.orange.com), a major mobile phone services provider in India (and abroad)
(I like the thought behind it, though)


Sparkie, nice colour combo, but a touch too fat "Shiok" (the all-uppercase isn't so hot). Also try using a clean sans-serif font for the "far-eastern cuisine"if you don't mind?


Taldo, I see that you're trying to show "people" through the numerous circles, but it's used by software companies so much that it's becoming a cliche.


j-design, the yellow isn't doing it for me. And perhaps it's just me, but I get the feeling I should be expecting an art gallery with that typeface. ;)


chelle, so far it's a promising start. I like the styling of the "S". Is this an existing font or have you created something of your own? Could you please tell me what was your idea behind the "paint"-like background?
My tips to you:
* Try getting some more contrast in the main lettering. Use a burnt orange (dark version of orange) perhaps?

* Keep the lighter peach background brush stroke and eliminate the darker one. This will give a "cool" peach bg contrasted with a "warmer" foreground colour.

* Use a less script-like sans-serif typeface for the tagline?


I know I said earlier that I prefer a type-based logo treatment. By this, I meant that we shouldn't try to construct elaborate symbols like chopsticks, frying pans, lanterns, flowers, etc. because it's harder to do properly. I don't mean eliminating all graphic symbols completely. For instance, take the Amazon.com (http://Amazon.com) logo. Their arrow is there to convey some meaning to the logo, but the logo remains text-based. (Yech, arrows are so... 2000 :P )

Guys, gimme some 30 minutes and I'll try to post a palette of colours to give you some inspiration.

Keep up the good work! :tup:

[themadman]

As I promised, here is a palette that should give you an idea of the kind of "look" I need. Not set in stone (because I wouldn't want to hinder a designer's creativity) but more of a guide for those folks wondering "what on earth is this guy looking for?" :lol:

[themadman]

Argh, it didn't work last time. Here's try #2. (I suppose attaching a GIF file is what's required?)

Also btw, I am willing to extend the contest by about 3-4 days if it will help things along.

[toniallen]

Thanks for the compliments. Those guys at Orange have good taste, I suppose ;)

I might give this one another shot, since I really like your palette.

Take care,
Toni

[Raja]

hi!!!

this is the face I think your establishment should set forward

[chelle]

Originally posted by themadman@Aug 25 2003, 11:43 AM

chelle, so far it's a promising start. I like the styling of the "S". Is this an existing font or have you created something of your own? Could you please tell me what was your idea behind the "paint"-like background?

Hi,
For the S it is a font, I mixed and matched until I thought I had found a good combination.

The paint splash, my idea behind this is to create elegance, warmth and something to catch the eye, if its on a sign, table cloth, or business card.

I will make the changes and have them up in a bit.

Thanks

[chelle]

B)

[Tonya]

http://www.frobo.com/graphic_work/shiok/shiok2.gif

[themadman]

OK, people, we're getting somewhere :)

dynagirl, your main "Shiok" colour is spot-on, so that's one issue resolved. :tup:
The font... nice, but I'm not too crazy about all-caps. The horizontal rule can also go.
Try using a couple of sizes smaller for the tag line, move it right a bit (to align with the beginning of the "Shiok" and use a font like Gill Sans. Actually, checking my font list, I think Goudy Sans Book is the perfect choice for it. If you don't have it, I can email it across. (see image below)

Chelle, it's developing now, and I like the way it's going, though it's not yet a "that's it right there" feeling. Could you please use the darker orange that dynagirl used, and perhaps make the paint splash slightly taller and less "scratched" (the one in your previous submission was more to my liking). Also, purple for the tagline isn't too hot (note my earlier comments about colours). It's also Helvetica/Arial (or looks like it), which is associated with government forms here. Lastly, do you have any other ideas for the main font or for stylising it slightly more?

Raja, thanks for entering the contest. Please don't get offended, but when I showed it to a couple of friends (not designers), they said, "I could hack that up in 15 minutes". It's got a "did this in a hurry on a non-existent budget" feel to it. Also, the typeface looks like plain old Times New Roman italics with more tracking. This logo might fit an Italian restaurant better.


Lastly, I thought I should mention that I'm probably not going with a conventional white-background business card (but obviously the letterhead needs to be mostly white). I want it to stand out from a Rolodex full of white business cards. Just something to keep in mind for the future.

That's it for now, folks.


The contest deadline is now moved to 02 September.
Any more designers/submissions?

[Raja]

Originally posted by themadman@Aug 26 2003, 09:49 AM


Raja, thanks for entering the contest. Please don't get offended, but when I showed it to a couple of friends (not designers), they said, "I could hack that up in 15 minutes". It's got a "did this in a hurry on a non-existent budget" feel to it. Also, the typeface looks like plain old Times New Roman italics with more tracking. This logo might fit an Italian restaurant better.



your friends are great!

It took 15 minutes to make and the budget is non existent!!!

:lol: :lol:


j/k

[chelle]

B)

[Tonya]

That font I'd used is an all-caps font, so I customized something similar here. I don't have gordy sans book, so I used gil sans for the tagline (you could email it to me: goodnow@gafm.com) or post it here if you'd like to see it in the design.

http://www.frobo.com/graphic_work/shiok/shiok3.gif

[Zoe]

This is something I put together…

I liked the colour palate you chose so thought I would have a go at the logo. : )

[wiseguy]

As I read you brief about this project I really started seeing something very simple and elegant. An identity that is warm and makes the eye relax, much like you described the atmosphere of the restaurant. And as it sounds from your info, people are used to being crowded and rushed, so hopefully this will appeal to them. I really loved the color pallet you chose - I think it's a great start to accomplishing these things.

Below are some examples. Again, as I said, I was going for a very zen, minimalist approach here. The little cubical figure is an abstract way of showing how your dining room space is laid out. It shows that everyone has their own space. It also brings a little Feng Shui feel to the piece.

Let me know what you think.

[Palmer]

Thought I'd put on my logo hat and give this one a try as well...

[themadman]

Sorry for the terribly delayed posts, people. I've been returning home very late the past couple of days after work and crashing into bed. :help: Oh well, better late than never and all that...

I'll move the deadline back to 04 September to compensate for this delay.

chelle, I like #03.
What I'd like to change is:
1) Give some slight irregularity or accent to the typeface so it doesn't look like you just picked a font from a collection. Take the Microsoft logo, for example. It's a straight type logo, but for the nicked "o" in it.

2) Can you make the peach splash a more regular shape and also extend it to cover the beginning of the tag line?

3) The colour of the tag line looks a little... dirty brown. Could you change that to whatever you think would go better? (Say the red from demex's design)


dynagirl, see if you can rotate the "S" about 15 degrees to the right so the letter is clearer. Apart from that, no changes.


Demex, nice typeface, both for the name and the tag line. I notice that when you tried to extend the "h", the tag line got crushed. Is the "h" emphasised for a reason? (It's not clear why.) My preference is the 3rd one in the first row. Can you work on that? The lighter colour you've used in #2 makes the logo lose strength because the thin font weakens the colour. As I told chelle above, try to give the logo just a small accent or irregularity. Also, could you please try these variations:
1) Try the burnt orange colour that dynagirl used for the main logo.
2) Vary the colour of the tag line just a wee bit so the whole logo doesn't look so... dense.

(Um, the shadows and the neon light effects aren't required, thanks. :) )


wiseguy, I really like your iconic representation of the booths and privacy concept. Unfortunately, the Zen/minimalist approach doesn't fit my ambience. Yes, my place is *simple*, but it's not minimalist. To give you an example, a minimalist approach would be to have very simple chairs with no armrests, cushions, or other embellishments. My chairs instead are wrap-around, sturdy, extremely comfortable chairs. As a saying goes, "a lot of effort went into making it look effortless". ;)

So spaced-out Futura won't work. Keeping your cubicle concept, can you think of any other designs?

toniallen, will you still be submitting a design?


Right, so now we're at a stage when you can show me the card and letterhead designs. The business card must be memorable, and the letterhead is going to be used for more than just business paperwork. I intend to send a letter every couple of months to regular patrons, telling them about what I'm doing with the restaurant, the new dishes I'm introducing, etc. The paper quality of the letterhead will be much better (and heavier stock) than the standard bond paper.

Here's the contact info you can use for them:

Madhu Menon

Address
2nd Floor, "Anu Arcade"
#12, CMH Road, Indiranagar
Bangalore - 560038

Phone
(080) 56978585

Email
chef@shiokfood.com

Website
http://www.shiokfood.com


(The bolded text is just for field names. You don't have to use that obviously. ;) )

[Tonya]

Here is the logo with the 'S' turned slightly, along with letterhead and business card samples.


http://www.frobo.com/graphic_work/shiok/shiok3b.gif


http://www.frobo.com/graphic_work/shiok/shiok3b_samples.gif

[chelle]

Hi,
Here are my revisions. I have used a regular shape for the first example and something more dynamic for the second. For the text, I have taken the horizontal shapes off the h and k and also split the backs with a verticle wedge giving it a unique look.

Thanks

[wiseguy]

Just so you will know it all, it wasn't Futura. But thanks for trying.

Good Luck,

J

[chelle]

Hi, just another quick thought using the more dynamic logo. B)

[themadman]

OK, time to wrap this one up.


And the winner is chelle, with dynagirl coming close. :tup:

Thanks to all the people who submitted designs. I shall recommend this site to others who want logos designed.

chelle, please mail me at webguru AT vsnl.net to arrange for transfer of files and some minor changes in placement.

[Palmer]

Congrats Michelle :clap

Thanks Madhu :)