Design & Dining by Jessica Burden

Design & Dining: An analysis of the visual grammar found in restaurant menus, and it’s relationship with The Principles of Design. Jessica Burden - 3059131 B Visual Communication Design (Honours) 8th November 2010

School of Design, Communication and IT Faculty of Science and IT The University of Newcastle Australia

Declaration I hereby certify that the work embodied in this thesis is the result of original research, and has not been submitted for a degree to any other University or Institution, except where due reference is given in the text.

Jessica Burden

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Firstly. I need to thank Michael Dickinson, my research supervisor, for his patience and dedication to his students this year, including myself. I cannot fathom how many hundreds of thousands of words have been proofread by you this year Michael, but your positive feedback, courtesy phone calls, late night edits and Freddo Frogs will always be remembered when I think of my Honours Research. To my family, who supported me in the best way possible – with food and energy drinks. Thank you for putting up with my whining during almost every phone conversation during the past few months, and your sometimes-unjustified belief in me. I promise never to do anything like this again! I would also like to thank my housemates for, at times, making sure my research was laughable so I would not cry. The many distractions you provided kept me sane, a well as your contributions of opinions and suggestions. Thank you Isaac for your editing skills and strict instruction to get writing. Thank you Scarlett for being my late night writing partner. Thank you Averil for actually believing in -and supporting - my area of research. Our mutual love of dining made this easier. To Sam, I thank you with all my heart for keeping an eye on my vital signs in those rough few weeks. Your support is irreplaceable. Who would have thought the ongoing joke about your name being on the thesis would actually come true. Finally, thank you Suspension, for being there for me every single moment when I needed you the most – my research would never have reached completion without your daily long black.

ABSTRACT

This thesis will deal with the investigation of graphic design used in the layout, and use of, restaurant menus. Diners are often subjected to using restaurant menus without consciously noticing the differences in the design from the last menu they held in their hands, yet may choose their dish based on the guidance of the layout their eyes are following. This thesis proposes to prove or disprove the assumption of graphic design holding a highly influential role in a menu’s purpose and effect. A preliminary study of 65 Restaurant menus across a scope of dining styles, and 3 in depth case studies of leaders in the field of Experience Design and fine dining will be examined. By deconstructing the designs of a number menus, the research can deconstruct different elements to determine their purpose and assess it’s effectiveness, as well as aesthetic appeal from a visual communication design perspective. So the research asks: What are the Principles of Design? What are Indicatives, Informatives and Decoratives? What is their relationship, and how does this influence ones perception of a menu’s design? What is a menu’s purpose and is this evolving? The research aims to answer these questions from a design perspective. Finally, this thesis aims to provide a better understanding to consumers, restaurateurs and designers alike, about what a restaurant menu actually is. A menu’s purpose, function & aesthetics are areas that are assumed to be determined by the creator of the restaurant’s menu. As an area so rich in difference of opinion, it is highly anticipated that a variety of extreme examples will be uncovered. It should be of interest then to find common elements amongst the menus analysed, and the results hopefully will intrigue others as an area of design that has become of strong interest to the researcher.

CONTENTS

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS........................................................................................................5 ABSTRACT ....................................................................................................................................7 CONTENTS...................................................................................................................................8 Motivation.................................................................................................................................11 Objectives..................................................................................................................................12 Areas of Exploration ...............................................................................................................12 Principles of Graphic Design ............................................................................................14 Visual Language - Pierces Theory Semiotics...................................................................18 History of a restaurant menu’s function and design ......................................................20 Current/Contemporary Menu & Restaurant Graphics.................................................22 Experience Design ..............................................................................................................27 Justification of Research.....................................................................................................30 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY ............................................................................................31 Defining the Research Methodology.................................................................................31 Ontological and Epistemological underpinnings ............................................................32 Position of the Researcher .................................................................................................33 Techniques involved ...........................................................................................................34 Technique – Content Analysis ..........................................................................................34 Limitations............................................................................................................................35 Argument against Limits ....................................................................................................36 Advantages ...........................................................................................................................36 Argue for Advantages .........................................................................................................37 Process of Analysis..............................................................................................................37 Technique – Case Studies...................................................................................................38

Limitations............................................................................................................................39 Argument against Limits ....................................................................................................39 Advantages ...........................................................................................................................39 Argue for Advantages .........................................................................................................39 Process of Analysis..............................................................................................................40 Conclusion............................................................................................................................40 ANALYSIS OF RESEARCH....................................................................................................42 Group A – Analysis of visual language in menu collection...............................................43 Group B – Analysis of visual language in local menus. .....................................................47 Group C – Textual Analysis of Leaders in the Field.........................................................50 Shannon Bennet - Vue Inc.................................................................................................50 Restaurant Amuse, Cairns. .................................................................................................53 Heston Blumenthal – The Fat Duck................................................................................57 Research Summary...................................................................................................................64 CONCLUSIONS .........................................................................................................................67 REFERENCES ............................................................................................................................71 APPENDICES ............................................................................................................................78

INTRODUCTION As a graphic designer, the different interpretations and definitions of the word ‘design’ are something that one is regularly exposed to. It wasn’t until I sat, wide eyed, at design conference AgIdeas in 2009 and listened to a chef speak about his perception of design that I started to realize the scope of design’s applications and effects in a countless number of areas. This particular chef was Shannon Bennet, owner and Head Chef of restaurant Vue De Monde, who explained, "I perceive design as having an outcome, a purpose, and for us it's to give the diner an experience. It needs to capture some part of your imagination, to polish off the experience." (Dolan, 2009). What Bennet is describing is an increasingly popular phenomenon across a variety of restaurants, referred to as ‘Experience Design’. The "experience design" is a new mentality and method for modern urban development. It will bring more creativity, more wonderful enchantingly design, and will promote the experience value of the restaurant (Yang, 2000). This paper will investigate this phenomenon through the medium of restaurant menus as examples. The research introduced in this paper will use selected restaurants as case studies exploring the visual grammar used in their menu designs. The data collected will then be analysed in relation to case studies available in the literature in order to confirm or challenge the assumption about menu design’s role and representation of a restaurant, and it’s function vs. design. In today’s restaurant industry, dining is now not just about the food that is cooked – a variety of factors contribute to a restaurants success and identity and it is the importance of graphic design in this mix that will be focused on throughout the research.

Motivation There has been thorough research and results available on the role - and importance of design when presenting and styling food in restaurants. What is lacking, however, is a significant shortage of information to do with the actual graphic design elements included in a restaurant’s menu, including if a trend can be found across the visual language used throughout menus. The current assumption is that the way a menu is designed represents the respective restaurant’s identity, feel, and food, and therefore is highly influential to successful restaurants. The objective of the study is to provide an empirical perspective on this assumption but breaking down the design elements of a 11

selection of menus into categories that follow C.S Peirce’s theory using the classifications of Decoratives, Informatives and Indicatives (Peirce, 1992). The researcher, through initial exploration, found that this is an area where there is an abundance of opinions, but little systematic research. This issue, combined with the researchers personal interest in this area, is the motivation behind the research. The aim of the study is to identify areas where further research, potentially on a much larger scale, could be conducted.

Objectives

The main objectives of the research include the following - To investigate and quantify the design principles and visual grammar present in existing menu designs, and determine the role of, and if there is a relationship between the two. Also to ascertain why or why not the relationship exists. - To develop a theoretical perspective in relation towhich elements make up a menu that represents a fine dining restaurant. Following this, to then determine if the use of elements is different to the majority of menu designs. - Analyse the visual language of menu design from examples collected locally by the researcher, to compare against the results gathered from a menu database.

Areas of Exploration To meet the above objections, the areas of exploration will comprise of 3 groups: Group A - Studying and following Peirce’s theory of Decoratives, Informatives & Indicatives. Menu examples are taken from an extensive online database to help establish any possible patterns, and explore a menu’s function in relation to it’s aesthetic image. A detailed spreadsheet to track design elements was used to draw conclusions on design principles/elements and also go further to divide these into indicatives, etc. Group B - Primary research by collecting a variety of menus from restaurants throughout Newcastle, NSW and subjecting these menu’s to the same analysis as with the menu’s from the database, tracking design elements and visual grammar. So a comparison looking for patterns amongst group A, B, and C can be conducted.

Group C - Examining opinions of a number of leaders in the field of design and dining through the Literature Review to gather viewpoint of professionals by sourcing interviews, statements, design examples and information. This includes Chefs, Designers, and restaurateurs who utilise design, and where design contributes as a major factor to their success. The research will detail their restaurants philosophy on design, including menu design, including – i)

Shannon Bennet of Vue Du Monde

ii)

Heston Blumenthal of The Fat Duck

iii)

Restaurant Amuse, voted #1 Restaurant in Australia 2010

LITERATURE REVIEW

The use of literature and existing case studies is also important to the research, and it’s a key reference point. Without something to compare to, the research undertaken would be less meaningful. To facilitate the presenting of the literature review results, the way the data was collected and then analysed will form part of how the review is presented. For the ease of readers, the review has been sectioned into the four areas the research revolves around – The Principles of Graphic Design, The theory of Visual Language, Menu Design & Contemporary restaurant graphics, and Experience Design.

Principles of Graphic Design

Whether not someone is experienced or aware of visual communication, or graphic design, the human brain is programmed to seek our certain patterns, contrast and colours. Most people would understand there are different components involved in every piece of graphic design, and design in general terms. This section of literature will detail We can group all of the basic tenets of design into two categories: principles and elements (McClurg, 2005). These two term’s referring to design and visual language – Principles and Elements - that in this section will be explained and separated. As only the principles will be referred to for the purpose of this specific study this clarification will be useful. (Avishkaar, 2009) Firstly, the Elements of Design are the basic units of a visual image. The elements depend on balance from the following objects –

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Space

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Line

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Colour

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Shape

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Texture

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Value

The Principles of Design make up relationships of the elements used and categorize the design as a whole. Whilst depending on the source, there can be some variation of the number of principles included, and even what these elements are, for the purpose of this study the focus will be on the six following, taken from Carson (2010) -‐

Balance

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Proximity

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Alignment

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Repetition

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Contrast

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White Space

A successful design, and menu design is no exception, will incorporate the different elements to serve the designer’s desired aims for the work and to achieve a functional and aesthetic outcome. There are not rigid rules for the use of these principles. The designer's aim should be to achieve harmony amongst the design elements. An interesting point is brought up by McClurg (2005) who explains that this can cause some confusion, as each principle is put into practice within the unique constraints of a particular medium. In this instance, the medium is Restaurant Menu’s, and consideration will be taken to principles that lend themselves towards the examples researched. More specific examples of these principles are best explained through a visual medium. When dealing with menu design, some of the more common universal principles to be considered include Balance, Alignment, and White Space, which will now be discussed. Balance is an equilibrium that results from looking at images and judging them against our ideas of physical structure (such as mass, gravity or the sides of a page). It is the arrangement of the objects in a given design as it relates to their visual weight within a composition (McClurg, 2005). The results of the research should determine which forms of balance - and therefore symmetry - are most common in a menu design and what the purpose of the use of balance is.

Types of symmetry can be seen in figure 1 below -

Figure 1â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Balance examples of Symmetry.

As seen above, balance is most commonly found in one of two forms: symmetrical or asymmetrical. This in turn leads onto Alignment. Alignment is the placement of elements such as text and also graphics so they line up thin the constraints of the design, along common rows or columns, or their bodies along a common centre (Butler, Holden, Lidwell 2003).

Figure 2 - Contrasting Alignment examples

Alignment is anticipated to be an element that will be strongly identified as a distinguishing characteristic amongst different menu design layouts. As lots of text is required as on the main features on a menu (listing the food available in some kind of order) a specific use of alignment is vital to creating order. For most designs, Butler, Holden & Lidewell (2003) explain that left or right alignment text blocks provide more powerful alignment cues. The meals and food listed on the menu will often be categorised by variations in alignment, and the resulting design will make a difference to the design not only in terms of functionality, but also aesthetics.

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The difference alignment makes in the order of a design can be demonstrated below in Figure 3.

Figure 3– Creating order with alignment

As seen with the block aligned on the right, consistency in alignment results in a design that is perceived more stable and cohesive, and also makes better use of the space available to design within. Finally, the use of white space is design is a common element that can be very effective in aiding usability when featured appropriately. Carson (2010) also acknowledges that, often, white space is effective use of the design principles balance or contrast in action. In menu design, white space is something that needs to be utilised effectively. The dimensions of a menu do not allow a huge amount of space to work with, so leaving space blank without justification is not an effective us of white space. Instead, the most common use of white space in menu design will be found in examples such a margins, gutters and even leading (the area between lines of text). The research results may, however, challenge this assumption and find the practice of white space a design feature common with an effective use, working well as either a decorative, informative or indicatives. These functions will now be explored through a review of the literature relation to the theory of C.S Peirce.

Visual Language - Pierces Theory of Semiotics & Visual Grammar Charles Sanders Peirce was born in 1839 and in Cambridge, Massachusetts and it well known today for his contributions to theory in many areas, including semiotics. (Weiss, 1934). While the work of Peirce’s research is extensive and covers areas from science to philosophy, for the purpose of this study the focus will be on the theory of Peirce’s categories for design principles. This theory is made up of three categories that can be found present in design – Decoratives, Indicatives and Informative (Alton, 2010). Each of these categories can be identified by its role or purpose that contains certain characteristics. The work of Amare & Manning (2008) explains that by using Perice’s theory as an the example that much in the same way the eight parts of speech can grouped by function (e.g., modifiers, pointers, connectors, etc.) the 10 types of visuals can be grouped by the three simple functions of invoking emotion (decoratives), pointing (indicatives), and providing knowledge (Informatives).

Figure 4– Basic Design Principles of Peircean Categories

The Peircean system is defined Amare & Manning (2007) by these three basic categories: firstness (feeling), secondness (action), and thirdness (information) which for the purpose of this study can be presented as three distinct rhetorical goals “1. Peirce’s Firstness, to decorate—to create a quality of feeling in the audience—borders, font shapes, color, etc., creating an overall feel for a document. We will call all such feeling-generating forms DECORATIVES.

2. Peirce’s Secondness, to indicate—to provoke an audience to action, locating, dividing, classifying, etc. We will call all such action-provoking forms INDICATIVES. 3. Peirce’s Thirdness, to inform—to promote in an audience further understanding of some idea—stories, reports, explanations, etc. We will call all such idea INFORMATIVES.” Amare & Manning (2007, pp. 59) As seen in Figure 4, and further explained by Alton (2010), Decoratives create a particular feeling in the viewer. This is a classic example of semiotics where symbols, icons and images are used to conjure emotion. This is commonly found throughout advertising to convince viewers of a certain message or feeling towards a brand’s product. Indicatives are used to draw attention to a particular item. Examples of this can include bullet points, boxes, paragraphs and even formatting to separate icons and information. This results in the viewer initially dividing their attention amongst these different points. Informatives have an explanatory title as they are the components of a design that provide actual information to a viewer. Informatives assert propositions and can be presented in different ways, but serves the purpose of informing without persuading. This theory has been explored further by Amare & Manning (2008), in terms of phenomenology, explaining that decorative visuals evoke feelings which is Pericean ‘firstness’, indicative visuals provoke action ‘secondness’ and informative visuals promote understanding ‘thirdness’. This theory will be used to deconstruct the graphics found in restaurant menus to produce quantified answers to which of these categories are the most common, and which design elements they are linked to. Bracken (2006) explains that in order for visuals to be effectively informative, they must be able to show clear contrasts between different elements, show only the relevant details of the subject, and make reliable generalizations. This means the researcher must take care when categorizing the design elements to ensure the theory is not misapplied. The categorising can then be broken down further by collating menu designs into areas such as Fine Dining, Cafes, Hotel Restaurants and so on. This will provide an insight into which characteristics define different style menus, and how this is designed in a graphic sense.

History of a restaurant menu’s function and design

It is vital to properly define the purpose and function of a menu in order to analyse the results gathered from the study. This section will focus on explaining what a menu is, it’s origin, and its relationship the restaurant from not only a design perspective, but a marketing perspective also. By looking at the different aims of the from different standpoints, the reason why different elements exist in a menu’s design will be able to be understood in a more comprehensive manner. There is no exact definition for what a menu is, but several explanations from different sources all revolve around a common concept of providing a tool to the customer that not only informs but also often persuades. In the most simple of explanations, a menu can be defined as ‘a bill of fare’ or ‘a list of food items a restaurant prepares and serves’. If this were the case, menus would all be simple printed lists of food and beverage items. Instead, the designer must view the menu’s purpose in a broad and comprehensive role (Pavesic, 2009). A study by Yang et. al (2009) of Cornell University, $ of Dollars: Effects of Menu-price Formats on Restaurant Checks, looked at several common restaurant price display techniques: •

Numerical with Dollar Sign: $12.00

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Numerical without Dollar Sign or Decimals: 12.

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Written: twelve dollars

The researchers expected that the written/scripted prices would perform best, but they found that the guests with the simple numeral prices spent significantly more than the other two groups (Dooley 2010). These three categories will be one of the design elements recorded for each menu design analysed in this study. Randice (1988, pp. 36) says a well-planned menu is a ‘commercial not only for the food items offered but for peripheral products and services provided by the organisation’.

This is supported by the definition given by Mozdzen (1993, pp. 5) ‘A menu is an integral part of the dining process. What is looks like, what it says, how it feels in your hands, its weight, its size, its substance all ad up to give a particular impression and set a particular mood’. Radice (1988) explains that a graphic designers task is to make the most of the menu by using the design to reinforce the main themes already established by the décor and the staff. Planned properly, a menu can be a powerful merchandising tool. It has been averaged that a customer will spend 109 seconds reading through a menu, so the design has that long to get any message’s conveyed to the consumer (Pavesic, 2009). ‘According to William Poundstone, the American author of Priceless: The Myth of Fair Value (and How to Take Advantage of It), one of the main factors leading customers to buy certain food items is the way they are presented to us on a menu. Menus, Poundstone says, employ a litany of psychological tricks to ensnare the unwary diner with a combination of pictures, bold fonts and careful positioning. In his analysis, Poundstone reveals various terms used in such dupeology, including ‘‘puzzles, anchors, stars and plowhorses’’. ”A star is a popular, high-profit item; in other words, an item for which customers are willing to pay a good deal more than it costs to make,’’ he explains. ‘‘A puzzle is high-profit but unpopular. A plowhorse is the opposite — popular yet unprofitable’ (Sharp 2010). These are all elements that will be analysed in relation to design principles to find out exactly what the design is conveying to the consumer, and how this has been achieved using graphics. No matter what techniques are employed, how what the menu looks like aesthetically, the main goals of a menu design can be summarised into 5 points (Pavesic 200..) •

Be an effective communication, marketing and cost control tool;

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Emphasize what the customer wants and what the restaurant prepares and serves best;

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Obtain the necessary check average needed to realize sales goals and bottom line return;

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Utilize staff and equipment in an efficient manner; and

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Lead to more accurate forecasting of the menu sales mix.

As the dynamic dining industry continues to evolve, and the needs of diners change, these goals should still remain constants in successful menu design, even if the format in which they are conveyed may change.

Current/Contemporary Menu & Restaurant Graphics As the psychology of menu’s design becomes a more common notion amongst restaurateurs and designers, and it’s potential as a marketing tool is being utilised more than ever, incredibly detailed research is being conducted. One theory that has been developed, details the notion of a consumers pattern of attention across a menu’s page(s). Pavesic (2009) describes this as the Theory of Primary & Regency in Practice. The diagram below shows how a most people do not ‘read’ a menu from page to page. Instead, they “scan” the menu with their eyes

Figure 5 – Diagram depicting the Theory of Primary and Regency in practice.

This diagram, whilst a practical guide in reference to a traditional menu style, may not take into consideration the changing format that restaurants are presenting menu’s to their designers. Some of the emerging menu types that are transitioning into use for mainstream dining are as follows Highly styled – Graphic design has become such an important aspect of menu design that restaurants are producing menus that look more and more interesting and exciting, really focusing on the product as a design rather than just ‘a menu’. A good example of 22

beautiful, innovative graphic design used in a menu can be identified in Camper Foodball, a Spanish health food restaurant with all visuals designed by Marti Guixe (Gibson, 2007).

Figure 6 – Camper Foodball Restaurant, photograph and design of menu.

Guixe, as a designer, has created some fascinating graphics which he describes as ‘something like a stage set painted with figures in axonometric perspective, representing an idealization of a rural world that is at once naïve and electronic – like with computer games’. He continues: ‘This set stretches out in its context as a medium for communication, to which information concerning themes related to health food could be added in a controlled fashion. The mural refers to politically engaged painting as well as aerial perspectives like in SimCity: spaces of representation and action in a visual context’ (Gibson, 2007 pp. 117). The fact that the once ‘simple’ menu now conveys so much information to the consumer is a sure sign of the change in the function and power of a menu, and has really been noticed recently by graphic designers. New designs for restaurant graphics are starting to break rules and push boundaries of what was once considered acceptable and appropriate by the diner. A particularly contemporary looking graphic style, designed for Reunion Restaurant in New York City is bright, fresh, and colourful. The menu not only is strongly enough designed to stand on its own as a graphic, but represents the company perfectly in its corporate identity and style.

Figure 7 – Menu design for restaurant Reunion, NYC.

The use of a few strong, high contrast colours is a feature that even less than a decade ago would not be found in menu design, and is now prevalent amongst up and coming cafes, and even Australian franchises such as Grill’d and Aporto.

Digital – Many restaurants exist already in Australia and worldwide where a computer network system is used in place of tangible menus, where diners can select their own meals from a screen located right at their table. The order is received by the kitchen staff, cooked, and the food then appears at the table shortly after, all with nil communication between patron and wait staff. This use of digital graphics, and even sound and movement brings a completely new element to the experience of ordering food from a menu. This concept has been taken a step further in Japan, where an amazing use of a contemporary product – the Apple iPad - has been utilised to develop a brand new selfordering system with exciting features.

Figure 8 – Ordering at a restaurant using an iPad menu.

Designed by Sharp Systems Products, it allows Japanese diners to order from a menu on their Apple iPad, completely obviating the need for the aforementioned touch screen ordering systems or ticketing machines. It’s a more feature rich implementation too: for example, you can pinch to make a picture of your food bigger, or drill down for ingredients (Brownlee, 2010). No menu – The most extreme use of design in a menu is having no menu at all. Fine dining restaurants, that only offer a set degustation menu, will often just seat the diner and explain each dish as it comes, without warning or choice. Australian restaurant Ritual

has taken this concept one step further by managing to combine the personal taste of the consumer with their set menu options and control their choices for them. ‘At Ritual we present our diners with a innovative menu style, in that there is no written menu. Instead we provide taster spoons containing the base flavours of the dish and ask the diners to choose via their palate. Our aim in the get our diners thinking about flavour and what their preferences are’ (Ritual Restaurant, 2010). An image of what the spoons look like when presented to the diner can be seen below.

Figure 9 – Tasting spoons at Ritual Restaurant used as a ‘menu’.

Experience Design “No man’s knowledge can go beyond his experience” John Locke Davis (2001) believes that many semiotic and structuralist arguments suggest that we are creatures of language, that nothing, either sensations or intuitions, escapes the domain of signs. But one can just as easily argue that everything that arises in consciousness is experience — that memory, analysis, and reflection all arise in the phenomenal stream, the loops and twists, ones stream of consciousness. This is where Experience Design comes into play. Experience Design is an emerging paradigm: it calls for an integrative practice of design that can benefit all designers (Jacobson, 2000). Design encompasses a variety of disciplines, including graphic design, web design, architecture, interior design, advertising, branding, web design, interaction, and instillation design. The experience design of restaurant belongs to the whole commercial design which includes product design, service design, environment design, marketing and graphic design (Chen & Guan, 2008). Graphic Design is obviously the stream being focused on throughout this study. No mater which facet of design is being considered, a designer with an ‘experience conscience’ will strive to create something that produces desired perceptions, cognition, and behaviours among their clients, users, audiences, (Jacobson, 2000) or in this particular case, the diner. The benefits from the acknowledgement of ‘experience’ when designing for restaurants is impressive from many standpoints, including not only a graphic design perspective, but also marketing and so forth. An example of experience design in practice is local Hunter Region fine dining restaurant ‘Ritual Restaurant’, who’s philosophy explains ‘we present our diners with an innovative menu style, in that there is no written menu…We taken the diner on a tasting journey, a degustation with a twist. We use new flavour combinations based on their volatile molecular profile and both traditional and cutting edge techniques – the WOW factor…..we are constantly researching traditional and new ways to create dishes that will inspire our diners’ (Ritual Restaurant, 2010). Several terms and adjectives can be extracted from this philosophy that are almost perfect indicators of Experience Design at practice – Innovative, Tasting- Journey, Cutting Edge, New Ways, ‘Wow’ Factor, Inspire.

To understand the full impact and excitement of experience design, a customers recollection of their experiences at The Fat Duck, a 3 Hat Restaurant in the UK goes as such - “We were brought large conch shells, from which protruded iPod headphones. My mother, spoiling the magic, exclaimed, “Oh, a shell with an iPod Shuffle inside!”. To which the waiter replied, “No, madam, it is a shell…”. Extraordinary rectangular trays came out, in the form of a wooden box (containing sand) topped with a sheet of glass/perspex. On top of this was more “sand” (edible - made from tapioca starch), a little “anemone”, some “seaweed”, “sea foam”, various bits of flotsam and jetsam and three perfect portions of fish. As one ate to the sounds of a seashore and gulls, one experienced the tastes (predominantly salty), textures (the fish melted in the mouth, the “seaweed” and “sand” gave crunch, the foam dissolved in an ozoney salty tang), and sights (self explanatory) of the seaside. Far more than mere “sound” of the sea.” (The New Epicurean, 2010). Another example includes Shannon Bennett of Vue Du Monde designing an interactive environment by ‘..creating a “living” dining table of rocket, lettuce, basil, coriander, dill and parsley, from which guests could help themselves’ Keily, 2010.

Figure 10 – Shannon Bennett’s living herb table in action.

To this study, experience design is both an interesting and a relevant concept, as it is the principles behind this phenomenon (such as styling, perception, advancements in

technology, creativity, and semiotics) that promote creative and effective menu design. The role of menu design is to not only inform aesthetically, but also contribute elements into the design as a whole - completing the ‘experience’ of the restaurant. Jacobson (2000) continues to stress that design creates meaningful relationships within information, and this creates experience. The result of this combination of design and media is an understanding and experience of information. Ultimately, a stronger sense and relation of thought, and emotion, is achieved through interaction and interfaces. As experience design becomes increasingly mainstream, extremes of this discipline push further into different areas of technology. An example of one of these factions is Captology, which has been defined by research at Stanford University as ‘the science of persuasive technology’ (Fogg, 2009). The area where technology and persuasion overlap, as described through Captology, is a good example to assist in an understanding of the changing growth in the area of Experience Design - How should a restaurant menu be designed when a consumers desire for function and experience are merging? Are graphic designers already creating a product that cater to an experience design environment, and can similarities in the visual grammar amongst menu’s be found that prove this? As this area continues to grow quickly, products are designed to change what people think and do, and Jacobson (2000) expects this trend to continue.

Justification of Research

The review of related literature has highlighted the scope of complex purpose of a menu, dependant on its context. Relative factors that affect the design, such as new phenomena Experience Design, have been identified and now taken into consideration when analysing the case studies. By reviewing the Principles of Design, and the Elements of Peirce’s theory, the researcher has been properly educated to put these theories into practice when deconstructing the menu designs. The review has highlighted, and confirmed the researchers assumption, that while there are a number of resources on both the principles of design used across menus, and vast study on visual grammar, the relationship between the two, there is a niche area of study where a focus can be directed. The review of literature has also served an effective guide to which areas of design, related to dining, are going to be particularly relevant to the study; hence resulting in a more focused discussion and analysis.

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

“This is the research design that shapes our choice and use of particular methods, and links them to the desired outcomes” (Crotty, 1998).

The purpose of this section is to describe the methodology and methods employed for the research in the study: An analysis of the visual grammar found in restaurant menu’s, and it’s relationship with design principles. Qualitative Research is a methodology that is used to explore issues, understand phenomena and answer questions. This paper will argue the suitability and benefits of this methodology and its relevance to this study to this particular area of Graphic design research. The research introduced in this paper will use a wide variety of collected menu examples, in conjunction with selected restaurants as case studies, to explore the visual grammar used in their menu designs. The use of a focused analysis of existing examples of menu designs will be needed, but for this to have to validity the method used to identify the visual grammar used in menus will need to be presented and argued. The data collected will be analysed in relation to case studies available in the literature in order to confirm or challenge the assumption about menu design’s role and relationship with a restaurant. The results will also aim to confirm if a pattern is present in the structure and design of a menu. This study is only small in nature, however the possibility of further research on a larger scale will be identified which could be conducted in the future. At present however, the research will be done with a restricted number of examples. Three different sets of data will be sourced for this research, to obtain the multiple perspectives required to satisfy the area of investigation.

Defining the Research Methodology To understand the style of methodology, the term ‘Methodology’ must first be defined. Methodologies are tools, techniques and approaches used to gain information to solve problems or answer questions, thus to make the research framework more clear (Leedy, 1997). In its simplest terms, the methodology used by researchers refers to the way they go about acquiring knowledge. Several definitions can be used to gain a comprehensive

understanding of the term – Qualitative Inquiry is an umbrella term for various philosophical orientations to interpretive research (Glesne & Peshkin, 1992). The majority of the research undertaken in this study’s data collections will be using qualitative methods, specifically Content Analysis. The technique of Content Analysis determines presence of concepts within sets of texts, in this case, the menus will be the text. This then allows the researcher to analyse the meaning and relationships of such concepts (Writing at CSU, 2010). The qualitative method of research – Content Analysis - will be the main technique of this project. By attempting to explain things in words instead of numbers, a more detailed understanding can be derived from the research. In conjunction, a quantitative record will be used to investigate and quantify the visual grammar present in existing menu designs and used to establish patterns. Quantitative methods will be used to triangulate results to provide the research with not only what, when where, how and why, but also how many menu’s possess similar or certain design qualities.

Ontological and Epistemological underpinnings Visual data is open to interpretation, and therefore the ontological and epistemological underpinnings of the method and the researcher need to be discussed. Underpinning the methods of research are the background, views and beliefs of the researcher. Epistemology deals with the nature of knowledge; its possibility, scope and general basis. Ontology is the study of being (Crotty, 1998). Throughout research, Crotty (1998) explains that ontological and epistemological issues tend to emerge together. This tends to also lean itself towards other perspectives such as Constructionism and subjectivism. The theory of Glene & Peshkin (1992) confirms that the methodology employed in this research reinforces the ontological perspective of the researcher, in what knowledge qualifies as valuable and their perception of reality. The Ontology of this research is significant, as the researcher’s assumptions are being dealt with. The assumption is that the design of a menu strongly mirrors a restaurants identity, feel, and food is highly influential to successful restaurants. The objective of the study is to provide an empirical – and objective - perspective on this assumption. Blaike (1993, pp.13) takes ontology to mean ‘the claims or assumptions that a particular approach to social enquiry makes about the nature of social reality’. This explanation is precisely what the primary research is

focusing on in this study – the finding out of the link between design and dining, the visual grammar used in menu design, and its effect on the perception of menu design. Ultimately, the epistemological and ontological underpinnings are all connected - the multi-method approach will use a variety of techniques to answer the research questions. The ontological and epistemological position of the researcher will not only affect the research method undertaken, it will also affect the interpretation of the results, and therefore needs to be recognised and dealt with accordingly. The researcher will attempt to take on a role that is as objective as possible. Although the researcher will technically be a participant the use of existing data sets and reference to the existing literature will be used to contrast against any subjectivity arising from the personally selected menus. Content Analysis allows the drawing of a conclusion to be based on several factors of the research process, not just because the researcher obtained the expected result. It allows the conclusion to be based on the validity and reliability of the measurement. How good the measurement was reflects the real world situation and allows for an analysis of what more could have affected the results (Experiment Resources, 2008). This ensuring of validity within the information gathered can helped in a number of different ways.

Position of the Researcher It is a trait of Qualitative Research to place the researcher inside and outside of the research. For this study, that statement is quite true – the different techniques see the researcher experiencing different positions in regards to the menus to be examined. As the first area of research (Group A ) comes from an existing collection of menu designs. The content is less partial to the influence of the researchers own biases or subjectivity. The researcher is also less at risk of having their ontological and epistemological stance affect the interpretation of results. Hence this puts the researcher in an objectivist position. The theory’s title is suggestive to its meaning – Rand (1989) explains that human beings can gain objective knowledge from perception through the process of concept formation and inductive and deductive logic. This suggests that there is one less area (the data collection) of the research that could be influenced, and leaves the analyses or interpretation of results that could be affected by the researchers own epistemological stance. The data developed for Group B will be dominated by the epistemological stances of the researchers whose examples are drawn from the literature. Conversely, the research conducted with the Group C, menus collected locally, will mean that the researcher is a participant and therefore influenced by her personal epistemological

stance. A more subjective position will be taken not only in the interpretation but also in the selection, this puts the researcher in a constructionist perspective, which Crotty (1998) explains as rejecting the view of human knowledge and the theory that meaning is not discovered, but constructed. Unlike objectivism, Constructionism is typically a characteristic of qualitative research.

Techniques involved

Qualitative research methods comprises of a number of techniques. The mixing of these methodologies, for example mixing a primarily quantitative survey of menu data with a qualitative review of the visual grammar of specific examples, is a more profound form of triangulation (Olsen, 2004) than either approach on its own. There is a strong argument that the use of both qualitative and quantitative methods will result in a more comprehensive understanding of the area of research by providing both breadth and depth, and will be implemented for this study. While a mixed method will be used for the thesis, this section of the document specifically focuses on the strengths and limitations of the techniques to be used to construct a theoretical perspective in the context of menu design research. Within a methodology, a number of techniques and strategies can be implemented to gather data in ways most effective to the aims of the research. Specific qualitative methods can include interviews, archival records, surveys, content analysis, experiments and journals (Myers, 1997). Multiple sources and techniques will work in unison to support the research. Qualitative research also involves the analysis of any unstructured material, including customer feedback forms, reports or media clips. (Ereaut, 2007). For the research in this project, the focus will be on techniques that reveal what can be discerned from existing examples of menus, and then go further to uncover and determine why, which is a qualitative characteristic.

Technique – Content Analysis The first is the largest group (referred to as Group A), which will consist of examples drawn from the Johnson & Wales Collection Archive. This archive is a collection of scanned restaurant menus now in digital format, covering a wide range of time periods, restaurant types and location. The benefit to using this archive is that it contains over

7,000 examples, this is data collected on a scale that would not be feasible for the single researcher in the timeframe of this study. In this sample, due to the narrow time frame for the research, only a portion of menu designs will be taken from the archives. It could be argued that this will affect the ability to make true generalistations on the representation of menu design, however this is not a concern in this case as the study is only seeking to discover the viability of a later deeper level of data analysis. To confirm the justification of the primary technique employed, Content Analysis, Iar (2007) defines content analysis as the systematic examination of instructional documents such as syllabi, assignments, lecture notes and course evaluation results. The focus of the analysis is the critical examination of the documents rather than simple description. Existing case studies and interviews from within the literature with creators of influential and successful restaurants renowned for their awareness and appreciation of the use of design (such as Shannon Bennett, from Vue De Monde) will be used as a reference point. This will be used when analysing the results collected from the selected restaurants. It is confidently predicted that the combination of these techniques (which becomes the technique in its own right of triangulation) will result in successful and comprehensive research results. As the technique of Content Analysis can be so diversely applied, numerous definitions exist for it. Krippendorf (2004) defines Content analysis as a powerful and unobtrusive method of research that has been important to the social sciences since the 1980s. As such, it is worth noting that the same process of analysis will also be carried for the final group of research - Group C – that will be made up of menu examples collected locally by the researcher. This primary research will allow for better studying of finer menu details and feature, such as the materials and size. As such, the discussion of this method applies to both Group A and Group B areas of research.

Limitations Time, and therefore the scale and extent of research, will be the main limitation to the study. Although the menu database is extensive, as the researcher did not collect or collate the example menu’s, it can not be relied on that they were taken from a broad demographic, although this does seem the case and hence is only a minor limitation. Qualitative Research can be more time consuming and less concise than other quantitative methods (McIntyre, 2008). Also, while collating the results and tracking the different design components,

it is vital to remember data collection is an important step of the research process. If the data is not collected and recorded accurately then the conclusions drawn from it will not be accurate. The difficulty arises when the researcher tries to be subjective, interpretive and scientific at the same time (Denzin, 1988).

RM Argument against Limits While there are limitations to every research method – that is why a vast array of techniques exist – for this project, the research choices can be justified, and disadvantages argued against. Techniques can also be put in place to combat the areas these methods may lack in strength. The risk for the content analysis of visual grammar results not being concise enough, can be avoided by the use of a structure prepared before hand, and by following the example to established thinkers and researchers in the area such as Bennett (as a restaurateur) and Peirce (as a researcher). Using their techniques will help ensure that all answers collected are relevant and brought back regularly to the main focus of the research. The use of content analysis as primary research will also provide answers that are easier to cross reference in the analysis. Also awareness, from the researchers standpoint, will be important in maintaining and clarifying the quality of the analysis of the visual grammar to avoid confusion or subjective results. When summarizing these results, concise academic wording will be used. Appendixes will also assist in providing more comprehensive and complete visual reference to examples described in the research undertaking. The use of different methods also supports this, known as Triangulation. Olsen (2004) defines this as the mixing of data or methods so that diverse viewpoints or standpoints cast light upon a topic. Of course, despite possible hindrances, the methods would not have been selected if they were not the most appropriate option and ultimately most beneficial for the results of the study.

Advantages Qualitative Research has many advantages as a result of explaining results thoroughly in words instead of numbers. Opinions and examples are not explained through numerical measurements and are most effectively gathered through qualitative techniques. McIntyre (2008) also suggests that this will give more in depth information as the techniques allow for in-depth investigation. This is particularly relevant to this specific research – the

detailed perspectives of participants, and understanding of their opinions could not be gathered comprehensively enough through quantitative research. Because of the style of the primary research content analysis and in order to get quality data collected from the three data sources, a limited amount of respondents will be used. Although at first this may seem like a limitation, time, risks, and money are all minimized by holding a smaller sample size and restricting the amount of a research. It is also a risk that student or novice researchers can get lost in large amounts of data, so the number of menu examples chosen for the research will work as an advantage and help avoid this. The advantage of Content Analysis is its effectiveness to be adapted across various media platforms, including not only written literature but also graphics.

Argue for Advantages For this study, which will view a wide variety of existing literature, Content Analysis will give the flexibility for the research to focus on different sources and still be analysed without a rigid structure preventing this. The adaptive nature of content analysis will allow for effective research into all 3 groups without the need for widely unique and individual techniques. The techniques chosen will be most effective for gathering data as long as the aforementioned strategies are kept in place - preparation is the key to successful research. This is particularly relevant to the primary research conducted in the form of content analysis. The study will rely on data that is rich is opinion - and also quite comprehensive - in order to get answers to the questions posed.

Process of Analysis The research of this study will utilize a mixed-methods approach to data collection and then analysis (Creswell, 2009). The results from the remaining quantitative research will be condensed and broken into sections, including different groups for different aspects of the content analysis. Each will have its own document, and then also collated together in a table like format for ease of viewing and reference. Dependent on the results, the statistics discovered may also be put into a graph format to highlight any specific findings. The statistics from the quantitative research (from group A) will be entered into an excel document so a variety of graphs can be produced from the results. This will

represent information such as specific aspects of visual grammar and other quantitative data collected.

Technique – Case Studies Group B. will be menus referred to in the literature, including examples used in previous studies where conclusions have previously been drawn. Menu’s taken from case studies of high profile restaurants (Bennet’s Vue du Monde) will also be analysed. This group should provide insight into the claim that Graphic design can set the entire tone of a restaurant. As a second technique to support the content analysis, and counter potential bias, a survey of opinions and examples from the literature will be undertaken. This will facilitate the collecting of data from a broader demographic of informants and present alternate facts and opinions in a more concise, yet still qualitative, manner. Because the type of literature sort will address "what", "who" and "where" questions, the focus will be on exploratory responses to menu design. Literature which addresses all five strategies identified by Yin (1994) could be used. The survey of the literature will look for answers to questions, which gauge perception of menu function and design. Examples of the type of responses sort in the literature include the work of Noel Alton and Alan Manning from Brigham Young University, who came from the notion that while balance in design is apparent, a precise specification of how that balance is defined was lacking. The research for ‘Refining Specifications of Decorative/Indicative Balance in Menu Design’ involves an empirical study of restaurant menu designs, including participant’s feedback on colour, images, decoratives, and information used in menus. C.S Perice’s theory of Visual Rhetoric is another source of literature that can be applied to this research. This semiotic theory is made up of 10 rhetorical functions. These 10 parts can be further broken down into three categories of function for visuals: decoratives, indicatives, and informatives. Much in the same way the eight parts of speech can grouped by function (e.g., modifiers, pointers, connectors, etc.) the 10 types of visuals can be grouped by the three simple functions of invoking emotion (decoratives), pointing (indicatives), and providing knowledge (informatives) (Amare & Manning, 2008). By referencing Peirce’s theory throughout the study’s findings, the case study will become not only informative but also uniquely relevant in the context of this research.

Limitations As qualitative methods can often be viewed as having a lack of rigour, it can be difficult to ensure not only the research but also the results are kept succinct and relevant as there will not be a set format for these. Some of the final risks that McIntrye (2008) indentifies include not being able to use results as predictive platform or generalize statistically, and possibly having results that cannot be used to project future outcomes in a statistical sense. This means that when explaining the findings of the research, the researcher may find it more difficult to summarise the results.

RM Argument against Limits As large amounts of information are gathered through qualitative techniques, there is a risk that the results may be interpreted subjectively – this document will also outline the techniques used to ensure an accurate and concise conclusion can be drawn, through combining techniques, and triangulation. The results from the content analysis of group A , B and C will be compared and contrasted. This will mean that a reader can easily see the variety of responses to the same question and draw their own conclusions. Examples of menu design will also be recorded as appendixes, where as key quotes and findings will be summarised in an ‘outcomes’ document within the thesis.

RM Advantages The use of literature and existing case studies is also important to the research, and it’s a key reference point. Without something to compare to, the research done would be less meaningful. In order to best compare primary research results, the way the data is collected and then analysed needs to be addressed.

RM Argue for Advantages While the size of the research undertaken, and the number of examples chosen is not particularly vast, this actually works in favour of the research. By having a smaller size of research participants used – the data collected will be richer, and within the scope of a research project on an honours level. The measurement and concerns of the quality of

information obtained relates to the structure of the grammar matrix, which will allow for a wider input of opinions and thoughts through statistical data and provide a larger scope of evidence to analyse.

RM Process of Analysis The case studies will be examined, and the theoretical perspectives of the restaurateurs – and their restaurants design’s - will be summarised. These summaries will then be compared and contrasted against the data collected through the primary research. Visual examples of the design used in these cases will also be taken to demonstrate the use of graphic design in practical way.

RM Conclusion Each of the research strategies outlined has particular advantages and disadvantages, and according to Yin (1989) depends upon three conditions – firstly, the type of research question, also the control an investigator has over actual behavioral events, and finally the focus on contemporary as opposed to historical phenomena. The techniques are listed above are no exception, and there are several points to be conscious of when researching. As the area of research involved in the study to be explored is relatively untouched, there appears to be plenty of room for further study, particularly from a graphic designers perspective. Marketing research is predominant and focuses on designs that will yield the highest profit from consumers, rather than taking interest and documenting trends in the actually design elements of menus. Eves (2001) quotes in reference to studies of design in dining environments - “… by reviewing the current state of knowledge on eating out, concluding that the ‘literature is sparse’ in this area – something those working in this field will be sympathetic to”, which reinforces the notion of an untouched area with research opportunities. In conclusion, the combination of various methods – quantitative and qualitative – and techniques within these should ensure that enough detailed data could be gathered to answer the proposed questions - determine existing patterns within menu design. The research into a number of different collections using the methods outlined in this paper should provide the most comprehensive insight into the posed questions. The possible

weaknesses within the framework of the aforementioned methodologies have been identified and the techniques consequently justified. Another key advantage of adopting a multi-method approach in a study is that the weaknesses of a single method can be compensated for by the counter-balancing strengths of another (Jick, 1979). The research results, potentially, may also become a resource to not only graphic designers but also those involved in the design of a restaurant, such as the -owners. Upon the completion of this exploratory research, a more detailed understanding of the visual grammar used in menu design should be uncovered. The detail and comprehension that the researcher hopes to achieve through the qualitative methodologies undertaken would not be able to be achieved through quantitative methods. The combination of the researcher’s epistemological stance, the methods, and context of data collection and analyses, is argued will result in research that produces comprehensive results and thoroughly satisfies the aims of the study.

ANALYSIS OF RESEARCH

This section of the study, which deals with the quantification of design principles in menu examples is undertaken to provide an empirical perspective and detailed reasoning to several areas. The menu’s designs were analysed and recorded using a quantitative chart across a range of principles (Perice’s Theory) and elements (of Design). The results from these were then cross-referenced against each other to identify any correlation, and also against the other menus to find the ‘average’ or ‘typical’ composition of a menu. The objective of this was not only to discover what elements typically make a menu, but what their purpose is, and the ways in which this can often seem disguised. The results of this section will uncover a number of cases where simple function and usability has been a designer’s (or restaurateur’s) priority, and therefore the quality of the graphic design has been affected. The main area of the design that the research will analyse will be to conclude which design elements are actually present, and categorise them according to Peirce’s theory. The diversity of the results was an interesting statistic in itself, yet results that showed features as clear majorities are still found, the figures will be looked at through the following analysis.

Group A – Analysis of visual language in menu collection It is quite difficult to clearly quantify components of a restaurant menu when following the principles of visual grammar. The difficulty arises when different design components possess qualities of more than one principle, and sometimes of all three. Let us use the following extract from Nagisa, a Japanese Restaurant, as an example -

Figure 11– Images from Nagisa Japanese Menu.

Figure 12 - Detail view of Heading Feature

The obvious purpose of this feature is to let the customer know that this is the menu for Nagisa Japanese Restaurant, and that this particular page or section of the menu contains ‘Entrees and Dishes to share’. Providing this information to the customer, and by following Peirce’s Theory, it is therefore classed as an Informative. Note, however, the design of the title – the colours, typeface, and size are particular to Nagisa Restaurant. The text appears to be a custom typeface and is fairly decorative, and

this in combination with the small red Japanese square is not necessary to convey the information that just the text itself could. By using a larger typeface and style (as shown in Figure 6) to the rest of the menu, it is separating itself and directing the viewer, drawing attention to a particular item is characteristic of an Indicative. To add further complication, there is use of the restaurants corporate identify (logo and colour choice) and elude other information to the consumer, reinforcing the style of food they are eating, as well as where they are eating, which may influence their decision. These qualities could arguably class the very same feature as a Decorative principle. For the practicality of this study, only the principle of the element which is deemed the most dominant will be recorded for the menu. To do this, the first and foremost characteristic of the design principle will be identified and labeled as such. The design element will be categorised by its main purpose, despite whether the researcher believes it was intentional or not when the menu was being designed. As multiple features of Peirce’s design principles theory are likely be found often, in exceptional circumstances the element will be recorded as both principles found, for example: both an informative and indicative, both an indicative and a decorative. With this clarified, let us look at the results from the first database analysis. Fifty menu examples were analysed, with ten menus being taken from five different restaurant style – Asian, Fine Dining, Café, Franchises and Hotels. Following an initial review of the menus, the most typical features were noted and deemed to be the most relevant for breakdown. These included Text Is the main typeface used a Serif, Sans Serif, or Combination of both? Does the menu feature Highly decorative typography? Is there use of all lower case/upper case in the text? Center Aligned, Right Aligned, or Left aligned? Is there use of 2 alignments (record of which) or all 3? Images Does the menu feature photographs? Does the menu feature Illustrations? Are both featured? Are neither featured? Use of patterns in the design?

Are there images of the food items on the menu? Other Is there other information on the menu that doesn’t relate to the food? Does the menu have a description of the food item as well as the dishes name? Does the menu choose to remove dollar/currency signs from the prices? Are the prices written as words rather than numerals? Is there a strong used of theme present (Eg. Mexican, rainbow, etc)? Does the menu use any extra materials or features (Eg. Ribbons, die cuts)? There is also a section for additional notes if the researcher felt there was feature on the menu worth including that could not be represented in one of the existing areas. A summary of the results can be viewed in the following graph -

Figure 13 – Specific design features identified from menu collection. See Appendices for

comprehensive results.

Statistical Highlights from an Analysis Results of the specific design features identified from the menu collection are explained below 68% of menu’s used only a serif typeface. 12% of menu’s used a combination of serif and sans serif typefaces.

Less than 10% of menu’s showed examples of text that was highly decorative The most popular alignment of text was Centre Alignment, found in 72% of cases, and 42% of menu’s featured 2 styles of alignment. 0% of menu’s chose to use 3 or more alignment styles in the one design. 22% of menu’s used photographs as part of their design, but more than half (56%) featured illustrations. 6% of menu’s featured both and 24% featured neither. The use of pattern as a decorative feature was found in 16% of menu’s analysed. A strong 80% of menu’s chose to feature a description of the items on offer as well as the name of the dish. When listing the price of dishes, the majority of restaurants – 62% - chose not to put a dollar sign next to the figure. Only 2 menu examples wrote the prices as text (eg. Twenty Dollars) instead of numerals. Surprisingly, only 8% of menus analysed displayed a strong use of theme throughout the design that reflected the style of restaurant or food. Other interesting points and preliminary analysis - 100% of Asian menu design featured left aligned text - The Researcher’s assumption was that Asian restaurant menus were often designed in a style that is quite stereotypical, featuring lots of decorative symbols that reflect the style of food and theme. This was disproven in the analysis with only 40% of cases using theme, and almost half of the menus featuring no illustrations, photographs or patterns at all. - Illustrations were found to be most popular, at 70% of the time, in Hotel/Resort Menus and Fine Dining Menus. What is more interesting is that almost always these illustrations featured an unrelated subject matter (normally nature related sketches, landscapes, or animals) that although they look pleasing visually, served no purpose in giving the customer information about menu items on offer, or even the restaurant itself. - 90% of the time Fine Dining Menus chose to center align their text, as did franchise menus. - The styles of restaurants that chose to feature images of the food on offer were Franchise and Café Menus, with examples found in 50% of cases.

Group B – Analysis of visual language in local menus. The process of analysis for section two will involve the same technique as for the database menu’s, but will use different examples which are collected locally throughout Newcastle. The purpose of this will be to have an additional source of menu examples to analyse, and as they have been taken from a different source the results can be compared and contrasted to see if further similarities or differences amongst the designs exist. The initial study of the 15 menu examples resulted in the following results –

Figure 14 – Analysis results of Group B - Local Menus

There are both similarities and differences apparent when compared the results form the Group A menu Analysis. Points worth noting include – -‐

Group A features Serif and the dominant typeface, whilst Group B features sans serif.

-‐

A combination of Center and Left alignment was more common throughout the Group A menus, Group B mainly uses left alignment.

-‐

Group B used illustration and photographs less often than Group A.

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Both groups, in about 70% of cases did not include dollar signs with the prices.

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A description of menu items was very popular amongst both Group A & B, in about 90% of menus.

These results can then be taken one step further to breakdown the relationship between the elements featured and their purpose. The different parts of the menu’s design (heading, images, and so on) were then put into one of the design principles, and then its purpose was assessed and it was sorted into either the Decoratives, Indicatives or Informatives column as seen below in the example for restaurant The Bakery Café:

Figure 15 – Breakdown of design features on The Bakery Café Menu and their relationship to the principles of design & categories of Peirce’s Theory.

From this, conclusions can quickly be drawn as to what percentages of the menu design different elements occupy, and their relationship to the principles. By cross-referencing, a feature of the menu can be taken and highlighted. For example in Figure 15, The Bakery Café, the logo on the front cover can be identified in the chart. Its position vertically places it as a design element providing Contrast to the design, and its positional horizontally has determined it as both a Decorative and Informative Icon. Every chart in this style will feature slightly different descriptions of features on the menu, as all menus are different, and this provided a way to calculate the relationship between the Principles and Elements flexibly. Without restrictive categories, more detail can be give at the discretion of the researcher. For full results, please see the full Appendix.

In order of appearance, the most strongly featured elements of design featured in the collection of menu’s analysed from the database are as follows:

26.6% 23.5% 21.5% 12% 8.6% 8%

Alignment Contrast Balance White Space Repetition Proximity

From these, the different classes within Peirce’s Theory can be summarised. The results represent a surprisingly even distribution amongst the three – 36.35% Informatives 31.65% Indicatives 31% Decoratives There could be several explanations for this. Customers are given the menu; they need to look at it. They do not need to be persuaded to chose that menu over others, its not something they are purchasing or have options of. They are generally already seated in the restaurant and therefore the menu becomes less about competing against other businesses and more about competing against its own products and profit. Therefore, a high use of decorative features to try and entice or persuade the consumer is unnecessary and almost redundant. This could be potential be a hindrance to the overall design, as an excessive use of Decoratives are likely to confuse or distract the respondent.

Group C – Textual Analysis of Leaders in the Field. The final section of research and analysis will give a final perspective to compare the data collected from the analysed menu designs, to show an example of how key players in the food industry perceive the importance of Graphic Design. Opinions of leaders in field, of creative restaurant design (particularly experience design) and examples of their menus, will be collected and analysed. This will depict what design is defined as, and means, to them as restaurateurs, and does this correspond with the conclusions drawn from the sample representing the majority of restaurants, collected through the first and second analysis.

Shannon Bennet - Vue Inc. Shannon Bennet is a case study that can provide a strong example of chef and restaurateur that is exceptionally on point when all variations of design are concerned. The detail Bennet has achieved through his 3 restaurants (Café Vue, Bistro Vue & Vue de Monde) in all facets of design are seriously impressive and unexpected when compared to the common dining experience. Davie (2010) describes that all the Vue restaurants ‘ have a very distinctive look that, for a person of Bennett’s creative flair (especially in Melbourne where individuality is championed) seems unfair to criticise. He continues to explain Bennett’s pragmatic protection of his creative integrity, the reason for ‘leasing the tenancy for the café at Normanby Chambers was so a McDonalds or Subway wouldn’t move in, forming a barrier to protect the Vue de Monde Brand’. Fine Dining, such as the Vue Restaurants, exists in a rarified world based on stringent discipline, big money, flair, and not a little hubris. Shannon Bennett has proven himself to be the king of the OCD-eque detail; the pure science and design of the worlds most demanding cuisine (Davie, 2010). Experience design often requires large investments into the restaurateur’s time or money, with Bennet spending $100,000 on Paul Smith Chairs for his biggest restaurant, Vue Du Monde (Davie, 2010). It is the smaller details that work in a way that becomes greater than the sum of their parts. After referring the video instillations and interior décor present in all of the Vue Inc. establishments, Hocken (2009) states, “In this realization of the Vue de Monde philosophy, art and dining are completely and inextricably intertwined. Bennett described contemporary arts as ‘an integral part of the dining experience’ providing “stimulation of the intellect as well as the palate”.

Bennett’s eye for detail, originality, and design has leaked its way across the visuals in every aspect of his restaurants. When deciding on what crockery to use in Restaurant Vue, Bennett commissioned a custom print design to feature on the restaurants Show Plate. Restaurateur Bennett worked in collaboration with artist Stieg Persson especially for Vue de monde, these individually-numbered show plates expand on the theme presented in his artwork 'Alsace', which is also featured in the restaurant's foyer (Vue de Monde, 2010).

Figure 16 - Show plate designed by artist Stieg Persson for Vu de Monde.

The design reflected the patterns caused by the fine bones of lamb chops when crisscrossed on a plate, but represented in soft pastel colours and creams. The attention to detail, as well as the concept behind the design is a grand example of experience design at play. Every aspect of the dining experience is aesthetically exciting - ‘Café Vue embraces dining as an art form…Tradition and its modern interpretation are inextricably intertwined’ (Hocken, 2009). The specific designs of the menus throughout Vue Inc. are no exception to Bennett’s relentless push for a merge of art and food. Hocken (2009) pronounces Café Vue a happy marriage of restaurant concept and realization, and explains that the interior encapsulates a brand identity through its contemporary take on classical references. Some examples of the detail and quality of the graphics used in his menu’s can be seen below -

Figure 17 – Bistro Vue Menu and Detail.

The menu is printed on a matt, rough card stock and uses a more decorative typeface on the cover as part of the design. The inside features a single sans serif typeface, with use of capitals for the subheadings (eg. RISOTTOS & PASTAS) and the headings are in French, reflecting the style of cuisine served. Wholesome, yet quality feel. The menu’s are not reused, with most diners taking them at the end of the meal as a souvenir, or disposed on and new one placed on the table. One of the reasons for this is that most of the Vue Inc. Restaurants provide ‘a menu embedded with the seeds of a lemon scented bottlebrush, so you can plant the menu at home allowing the memory to grow after the moment’ Keily, 2010, pioneering in terms of menu design.

Vue Inc. is viewed in Australia as a cutting edge dining experience, different to and leading the Australian restaurant industry. The graphic design should logically reflect this, so the Bistro Vue & Café Vue menus will now be compared and contrasted to the results taken from the menu database in Group A and the local menus in Group B. Some similarities with Group A & Group B menu results include: -‐

The majority of local menu results used a sans serif typeface, as does Bistro Vue.

-‐

Some examples taken from the Local Menus used a similar stock, brown rough paper as Bistro Vue, such as The Kitchen.

-‐

93% of Local Menus used left aligned text, as does the Bistro Vue menu.

-‐

This menu does not use dollar signs for it’s prices, like the strong majority of menu’s from both Group A & B.

Most the similarities found were between Bistro Vue, and the results from Group B – Local Menus. Conversely, some differences with the database menu results – -‐

68% of database menu’s used a serif typeface, Bistro Vue does not

-‐

90% of fine dining restaurant menus from the database centered their text, while Bistro Vue is left aligned.

-‐

The cover pattern on the front cover in the main feature and decorative used in the menu design, however this was not common amongst the database results finding that only 16% of menus featured a pattern.

-‐

Bistro Vue does not feature additional descriptions of the menu items apart.

Restaurant Amuse, Cairns.

Restaurant Amuse has been selected for analysis as it is a recognised leader of find cuisine in Australia, recently being awarded Outstanding Restaurant of the Year 2009 & 2010 by the Restaurant and Catering Industry Association (Restaurant Amuse 2010). Amuse has a contemporary style about its design, simple and understated. This can be seen even in the restaurant’s interior décor and food styling -

Figure 18 – Interior shot of Restaurant Amuse, and example dish served.

The minimalism continues into the design of it’s menu also. Amuse explains that they are little different in that no physical menu is actually presented to the guests. Instead, on arrival, the staff discusses the diner’s allergies, dietary requirements, likes and dislikes and then verbally introduces each of the ten courses prepared for them (ibid.). At the end of the night the guest will receive a printed A5 version of what they have eaten. This is simply printed on a piece of A5 paper with minimal graphic design in practice. The restaurant explains this is due to the constantly changing nature of the menu (some dishes are only on the menu for a few weeks at a time) and due to the vast number of menu variations that can be being run on any given evening. Due to dietary requirements and allergies, Amuse may have a dozen different variations of the one degustation running on any given evening. We can examine what the standard menu structure looks like in the following example-

Figure 19 – Restaurant Amuse Menu design

The menu can be deconstructed to help understand the function and design behind the elements featured. Restaurant Amuse has provided a case study different to the other examples analysed throughout this research The menu features simply one typeface used in a few weight variations. The choice of a sans serif reflects the majority of the local menus analysed. The different sizes and weights can have their purpose defined as Indicatives, separating items and informing the viewer of the order, names of dishes and descriptions. In this sense, and by Perice’s definition, the text itself can be viewed as an informative. Everything is left aligned, which is a common feature amongst most menu’s in Group A & Group B, and this appears just to be for balance and clarity. A particularly strong use of white space is not present, but as the menu is designed so simply with vary few components, it is not particularly necessary from a functional point of view (Indicatives and Informatives), though it may have assisted aesthetically (Decorative). The lack of any images in the design was a feature found across 24% of menus studied, so it’s a slightly more unusual finding. The reason for this may be because including photographs or

illustrations could be viewed as redundant, seeing as it the menu is not actually presented to the patron until after the meal, it has no influence over meal choice. It is a point of interest - and very reflective of contemporary dining - that the dishes featured on the menu can be viewed online on the restaurant’s website along with some photographs of meals served

Figure 20 – Screenshot of Restaurant Amuse’ website - the menu page.

Whether or not having the menu online (with some photographs of the dishes) is a particularly influential marketing tool, or if diners take note of this prior to dining, is research that has potential to be explored in the future. For this study, however, the nature of menu that is not viewed until after eating is a concept that had not been explored and provided an interesting perspective to compare other menu designs to.

Heston Blumenthal – The Fat Duck The Fat Duck, fine dining restaurant in Bray, UK has been awarded three Michelin stars and was voted Best Restaurant in the world in 2005 (The Fat Duck, 2010). Owner and Head Chef Heston Blumenthal has put a huge focus on consistency in the graphic design used throughout The Fat Duck, as this is a component that is heavily relied on throughout several of his dishes to complete them as an ‘experience’. Eccentric and sometimes initially confusing dishes are the specialty of Bluenthal’s, which rely on extra additions like packaging, unusual menu designs, additional information cards and books. The different uses of design can best be explored and analysed through the experiences of diners. One patron describes the setting upon their visit to the Fat Duck – ‘We opened the sealed Fat Duck tasting menu envelope and were presented with this on the first page’ (Its Food, 2009).

Figure 21 – Fat Duck Degustation Menu

Figure 22 – Degustation Tasting Menu Design from The Fat Duck

The layout of the menu is very reflective of the alignment results in Group A, with 90% of fine dining restaurants centering their text, as is the serif typeface found in 80% of cases. Accompanied alongside the menu is a heavy, perfect bound book with a brown leather cover embossed with The Fat Duck trademark cutlery icons. Leong (2010) explains that this document describes the one hundred and fifty pound taster menu – for the record no a la carte at the Fat Duck – as well as the massive tome that is the wine list (detailed below).

Figure 23 – Leather bound menu cover, The Fat Duck

The graphic design concepts continues into how the meals are actually presented, such as the packaging required for the Milk & Cereal, which is actually a bag of parsnip flakes served with an infused parsnip ‘milk’.

Figure 24 – Parsnip Milk & Cereal Packaging

To serve this meal already plated up in a bowl would still be an interesting experience, but it the attention to detail and utilization of design that heightens the act of opening the package and the diner preparing their own meal. Of course, this is also Experience Design in practice, but it is the graphics that contribute immensely to the impact and success of the dish, which consequently, aids the success of the restaurant. This same

technique of bringing packed foods to the table can be seen in other meals served at the fat duck, such as -

Figure 25 – The Fat Duck Pine Sherbet

Figure 26 –Oak edible strips in container.

There are more traditional, yet still interesting, inclusions of design in the restaurant menu’s that work in unison to creating a dining experience. The New Epicurean (2010) explain during his visit to The Fat Duck, each table had a unique and exotic small flower arrangement, and a card on “Nostalgia Foods” in which Heston Blumenthal invites diners to fill out the decade in which they grew up and foods that are particularly significant for them.

Figure 27 – Nostalgia foods ‘menu’ from The Fat Duck.

We were also brought copies of the menu, sealed in envelopes to take home. The paper was described as "skin" paper, and does have a very similar tactile quality. I adore good paper, and even I have never encountered anything so unusual (The New Epicurean, 2010).

Figure 28 – Skin Paper envelope with wax seal.

The restaurant’s logo is found repeatedly throughout any item presented to the diner, which ensures for consistency, yet still remains exciting because of its varied applications, such as the wax seal above. By creating designs that are able to kept by the diner, and having additions such as the nostalgia foods card, it gives an opportunity for them to personally contribute to their experience. Information cards are also placed on the table at certain intervals, just prior to that particular dished being served, which not only engages the diner but encourages them to anticipate what is to come. The visual cues placed in front of the diner, before the meal is even present, is a technique where once against design plays a vital role or having to accurately reflect the restaurant – a strong merge of Informatives and Decoratives.

Blumenthall’s Mock Turtle Soup in an example of this, seen in Figure 25 what is displayed before the dish is served.

Figure 29 – Mock Turtle Information Card/Menu Design from The Fat Duck.

Note the illustrations used on both the front and the back of the card, as this appears to be atypical feature of menu’s used in Fine Dining restaurants, identified in 70% of cases analysed in Group A. The final dish the diner consumers, and also the final piece of design they are presented with, is the ‘Like a Kid in a Sweet Shop’ course. Like the majority of courses at The Fat Duck, a stylized packaging has been developed and presented to the diner for explore, everything neatly branded with the restaurant logo and as a result are harmonize neatly. As many consumers identify with a bag of treats as something memorable from their childhood, evoking emotion and the classic design of pale pink and white stripes work very well together as a Decorative, invoking feelings and representing the ‘feel’ of the meal perfectly.

Figure 30 – ‘Like Kid in a Sweet Shop’ packaging

An accompanying menu is also included in the bag -

Figure 31 - 'Like a Kid in a Sweet Shop' Menu

The Fat Duck, in conclusion, is a restaurant that has been ingeniously crated by Blumenthal to gently manipulate diner’s emotions using design, to heighten any sensations they experience whilst within his restaurant. The importance and techniques of menu design has been taken, and applied, to many other print graphics such as the packaging, books, and information cards in the restaurant. This has achieved an environment that maintains almost consistent control over its patron’s area of attention and emotions. This confirms that graphic design working as a Decorative element in menu design is a strongly influential technique, and through this research has been found the most active in Fine Dining restaurants, such as The Fat Duck.

Research Summary In conclusion, there are some trends across menus in relation to Design Principles and Visual grammar that can definitely be identified. Conversely, there are some sporadic patterns throughout the graphics in different menu examples that, at this scale study, can’t be confirmed if there is in fact no pattern present or if a trend just could not be identified at this stage. As consumers are assumed to perceive the design quality of the menu as a reflection of the quality of the food and service provided, this study has highlighted how Experience Design appears to utilise graphic design more so that other areas. This is something that is difficult to determine as, it is quite a subjective area to analyse and often comes down to personal preference, so the assumption form the consumers perspective can not be confirmed in this study. What can be drawn from the results of this area, however, are both similarities and differences in menu design across a broad scope of areas, in correlation to type of cuisine served and the style of restaurant. With more than two thirds of restaurants choosing to use a serif typeface, this is a statistic worth exploring further. Thimmaiah (2010) explains that typefaces with serifs are often considered easier to read in long passages than those without. However, studies on this matter are ambiguous, suggesting that most of this effect is due to the greater familiarity of serif typefaces. As a general rule, printed works such as newspapers and books almost always use serif typefaces, at least for the text body. This is certainly consistent with the findings from the typefaces identified throughout the Menu Database examples. It could be argued that the reason the use of serif typeface’s features so highly in the research results is the conscious result of particular designer’s perception that it aids readability. The more likely cause, in the researchers opinion, suggests he style of typeface was chosen without a huge amount of conscience purpose apart from aesthetics, as serif text appears as ‘the norm’ for general body copy found in other publications. This is supported by Lidwell, Holden & Butler (2003) where they advise designer of legibility in text ‘There is no performance difference between serif and sans serif typefaces, so select based on aesthetic preference”. Center Alignment was another trend found present in both groups A & B (72%) and also through menus in Group C that the researcher believes stems from the principle of balance, and therefore works more for aesthetics as a decorative than any other element.

The use of Meal Descriptions used in 80% of group A, and 100% of Group B has been concluded as a feature that is predominately Informative. The way it is designed does not effect it’s role to a degree nearly as strongly as the information it contains. Dollar Signs have been excluded in a total of 75% of menu’s analysed across all groups. It has been determined that this has two purposes. Firstly, from a design perspective, it look more pleasing visually. Secondly, it also helps prevent the diner selecting their meal based on price, as confirmed by Yang et al. (2009). This also gives the features traits of a Indicative as well as Decorative. The minimal use of images (34% of cases analysed) in Local menu’s, including photography or illustrations, is believed to be so as designers are aware that restaurant patrons should not have to experience an information overload. If too many distractions are present in the design, such as colour and images, the attention that should be directed at deciding on a dish to order becomes blurred, and dissatisfactory choices may be made. The most encouraging thing, from a restaurateurs perspective, should be a menu that allows a consumer to objectively chose a dish they know the will enjoy, and hence be a satisfied customer with a higher chance of returning. Using Decoratives sparingly also appears to result in a menu that is not only more pleasing to the customer as the information presented is able to be deciphered more easily, but also is attractive aesthetically, true to the adage ‘less is more’. This is particularly relevant when considering the principle of balance when deciding the use of images and other decorative features in restaurant menu design. Another aspect to bear in mind is that while most people would assume a Decorative icon to be only an image, this is not necessarily so. It becomes the way the element is presented can make the menu design feature highly in decorative elements, such as the packaging found in the Fat Duck. We can see that in the fine dining examples in Group C, although the design techniques re generally reflective on the statistics gathered through Group A and Group B research, the way in which it is utilised is quite different -

Is the use of Decorative, Indicatives and Informatives in Group C consistent with the finding from Groups A & B?

Are the use of Design Principles in Group C consistent with the finding from Groups A & B?

From this, we can quickly see that the general menu design (reflected from Group A & B menu’s) is mainly similar to Group C in terms of Peirce’s Elements, and different in regards to design principles used. The reasoning, the researcher believes, for this difference stem from the fact that if there were no difference in the design for different classes of restaurants, then the restaurants would not truly be different enough to be separated into different classes. A menu has been confirmed to reflect the style of dining environment, hence different restaurants will emphasise different elements (Decoratives, Indicatives and Informatives) and also design principles.

CONCLUSIONS

Through the results of the study, several conclusions can be drawn which prove and disprove prior assumptions. In relation to the design and graphics in contemporary menu design, it can be gathered that restaurants inevitably are created with, or at least develop, their own style – made up of a combination of different elements including food, pricing, setting, and – design. Changing just one of these elements can effect the perception of the whole restaurant, in this case, on the menu. Through the Literature Review, Experience Design was an area researched with a strong influence over the analysis of the restaurant menus form Fine Dining establishments. A technique identified amongst these examples studied, was effective use of not how the menu design was created, but why (the concept or story behind it) it was created and the way in which it was presented to the customer was vital. When The Asian Executive (2010) asked Bennett about the techniques used in his restaurants, he explains ‘It is not so much the techniques that we used to make our dining experience difficult to recreate at home…What is really important are the other aspects – the theatre, the interaction with the staff, the presentation of the experience, wines that are not commercially available’. This supports the ideal that it is not so much an amazing quality or details in the restaurants graphic design, but a creative way in which it is offered to the diner. The quantitative research results provided numerical statistics, which are reflective of how often certain features were found in the menu’s graphic design. Ultimately, yes, a trend can be found amongst the design of restaurant menus, within several areas 1. Peirce’s Theory of Decoratives, Indicatives & Informative elements The menu’s studied contained elements that were assigned to Decoratives, Indicatives & Informatives featured 31% 32% and 36%, respectively, making up 100% of items on a menu. From this it can be concluded that different parts of a menu work equally to promote feeling, provoke action, and assert propositions in the diner. This reflects that graphic design in menus does not have a dominative motive being conveyed through visual grammar – it balances all of Peirce’s principles and puts them each to work, creating a unified design.

2. The Principles of Design The most popular Principle of Design recognised through the study was Alignment 26%, while the least common use was found though Proximity in just 8% of cases. There is potential for an argument that there may be some subjectivity in the researchers point of view when labeling which items reflect which design principle, as many parts of design features can consist of several design principles in action. It cannot be debated, however, the alignment of the list of meals or dishes on offer is the main feature of the menu and therefore vital to the style of the design. Alignment determines the justification of any text and how images work around this, and as shown in the results, carries the most weight out of the Design Principles when deigning a menu. 3. The Relationship between the aforementioned Elements & Principles. There is a relationship amongst the design principles and visual grammar but it is dynamic, changing slightly in its application amongst different menu’s examined. The relationship between the most common element (Alignment) and principle (Informatives) can also be justified. In short, menu designs seem to want to achieve an item that is easy to view (Alignment) and provides the simple information that a menu should (Informatives). There is thus a widespread call for “balance” of not only design principles, but the in the relationship between these principles and the elements of Peirce’s Theory. The design features becomes not a matter of trying to convince the customer to look at the menu, but instead controlling how they will look at it, and this is where the design principles come into play. With Alignment being the dominant element, it becomes obvious that usability and clarity are important in menu design. Another trend the researcher noted looking at the results was the lack of menu designs that featured multiple design features in all three categories of text, images, and other decorative qualities. It appears, from the sample, that the avoidance of excessive use of colours, patterns, illustrations and photographs (decoratives) is because the inclusion of all three may result in a menu design that is more likely to contradict design principles. By including multiple decoratives it is more difficult to creates a design that features balance, white space and contrast. By using decoratives in excess (be aware the decoratives could come in several forms) they also begin to compete with Informatives, and particularly Indicatives. Through the research it has also been determined that the

use of elements amongst leading restaurants in the field of fine dining and innovative Experience design is different to the majority of menu designs Another conclusion that can be drawn upon completion of the study is that there are many more questions to be answered when analysing the role of visual communication in restaurant graphics. Although a more detailed understanding has been drawn, about how menus are designed, there is further space for why. A variation in methodology and of qualitative techniques to develop a more thorough understanding of the why and how involved in decision-making is suggested as an area of future research, that is, going past just what, when, and where to provide a far more thorough and critical analysis of the collected data will be required. This will require an increase in the scale of research, resources and time that was not feasible in this study, and despite many questions being answered throughout the research, the study also resulted in the research asking further, more specific questions about the role of graphic design in menus. Is there a conflict of interests with these menu designs? As the menu is a restaurant’s primary means of representation, it is the first point of call for consumers when deciding on where to take their business, and therefore is a highly influential marketing tool. For example, one of the areas identified for further investigation within this area is focusing on the marketing perspective of design. This may suggest putting the prices at the end of the menu items description instead of in a separate column, to avoid customers browsing by price and therefore eliminating more expensive options without consideration. From a design perspective, this would be conflicting with the principle of alignment, which traditionally would want to push all the prices to the left of the page to align them and balance the menu. Using just this minor example, the different perspectives to take into consideration can start to be seen. Ultimately, the design will be determined by the goals of the restaurant, whether or not it is a conscious effort. The results of this thesis, potentially, may also become a resource to not only graphic designers but also those involved in the design of a restaurant, such as the owners. Finally, it has been determined that patterns amongst the principles and elements found in Menu Designs can certainly be drawn, but the majority of statistics gathered in this study are not comprehensive enough to confirm a generalization of template for all menu design. What can be drawn is the different use of design elements to address the consumer’s attention in different ways and the relation this has with the style of restaurant, particularly fine dining or restaurants that the use of Experience Design is present in.

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APPENDICES

Figure 1 – Balance examples of symmetry (McClurg, 2005)

Figure 2 – Contrasting Alignment Examples (McClurg, 2005)

Figure 3 – Creating order with alignment (McClurg, 2005)

Figure 4 – Basic Design Principles of Peircean Categories (Amare & Manning, 2007)

Figure 5 – Diagram depicting the Theory of Primary & Regency in Practice (Pavesic, 2009)

Figure 6 – Camper Foodball Restaurant, photographs and design of menu. (Gibson, 2007)

Figure 7 – Menu design for restaurant Reunion, NYC (Reunion Restaurant, 2010)

Figure 8- Ordering at a Japanese restaurant using an iPad menu (Brownlee, 2010)

Figure 9 – Tasting spoons at Ritual Restaurant used as a ‘menu’ (Mackay, 2010).

Figure 10 – Shannon Bennett’s living herb table in action (Keily, 2010)

Figure 11 – Image of Nagisa Japanese Restaurant Menu (Nagisa, 2010)

Figure 12 – Detail view of logo heading (Nagisa, 2010)

Figure 13 – Specific design features identified from menu collection (Burden, 2010)

Figure 14 - Analysis results of Group B Local Menus (Burden, 2010) Â

86 Â

Figure 16 – Show plate designed by artist Stieg Pesson for Vu de Monde (Vue de Monde, 2009)

Figure 17 – Bistro Vue menu and inside detail (Burden, 2010)

Figure 18 – Interior shot of Restaurant Amuse and example dish served (Amuse, 2010)

Figure 19 – Restaurant Amuse menu design (Amuse, 2010)

Figure 20 – Screenshot of Restaurant Amuse’ website (Amuse, 2010)

Figure 21 – Fat Duck Degustation Menu (Its Food, 2009)

Figure 22 – Degustation tasting menu design from the Fat Duck (Its Food, 2009)

Figure 23 – Leather Bound Menu, the fat duck (Kang, 2010)

Figure 24 – Parsnip & Milk Cereal Packaging (Boots, 2007)

Figure 25 – The Fat Duck Pine Sherbet (Boots, 2007)

Figure 26 – Edible Oak Strips in container (The New Epicurean, 2010)

Figure 27 – Nostalgia foods ‘menu’ from the Fat Duck (The New Epicurean, 2010)

Figure 28 – Skin Paper envelope with wax seal (The New Epicurean, 2010)

Figure 29 – Mock Turtle information card from the Fat Duck (The New Epicurean, 2010)

Figure 30 – Like a Kid in a sweet shop packaging (The New Epicurean, 2010)

Figure 31 – Like a Kid in a sweet shop menu (The New Epicurean, 2010)

2. Hotel/Resort Menus

1. Burning Bush Restaurant 2. Chez Panisse 3. Club Casablanca 4. DB Bistro Moderne

3. Fine Dining Menus

1. Four Seasons Toronto 2. Kings Garden 3. Sandtrap Bar & Grill 4. Scrimshaw Tavern 5. Splendido 6. The Bay Tower Room 7. The Dome Grill 8. San Angel 9. The Golf Grill 10. The London Bar on Broadway

1 1 1 1 1 1 8

1 1

1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 2 8 10 0

1 1 1 1 1 1 1

1 1 1

1 1

1 1 1 1 1 1

1 1

1 1 1

1 1

1 1 1 1 1

1 1

1 1 1 1

1 1 1

1 1

1 1 1

1 1

1 1 1 1

1 1 1 1 1

1 1 1 1

1 1

1 1 1 1

1 1 7

1 1 1 1 1

OTHER

Serif

1. Glatt China 2. Gontaro 3. Kang Suh Restaurant 4. Kyoto 5. Prime 10 Steak & Sushi 6. Sakura Japanese Restaurant 7. Shanghai Garden 8. The Peach Blossom 9. Sura 10. Tse Yang

IMAGES

1. Asian Menus

TEXT

Breaks up sections with blocks of colour, upper case headings Upper case headings Elaborate illustrations throughout (all pink)

NOTES

Illustrations of food on cover

Upper case headings Upper case headings, info on artist Upper case headings

Handmade, colourful, collage of shapes/ food items on front and back cover, Handwritten type Menu also in arabic Menu items written on diagonal, upper case headings Upper case headings

NOTES

minimal, uses a script typeface, doesn’t look asian illustration of blue flowers like blossom, eludes to asian uses asian text on cover as a decoration minimal, use of asian text on cover and throughout menu slightly plain and umprofessional menu, mismatch on cover of info Sterotypical asian menu - colours and illustrations.

Intricate cover design

NOTES Very minimal colours just black & green - mainly informative

COMEDY: Characters

San s Se rif Com b in ation High ly D eco r a ti U se ve of a ll low e U se r c ase of a ll up per Cen case ter A li g ned Left A li gne d Righ t Alig ne d U se s2A lignm ents U se s 3 A lig n m ents U se s Ph or m otog ore ra p h U se s s Illu stra tions U s e s Bo th U se s Ne it h e r U se s Pa ttern s Con tain s im age Othe s of r info food item o nm Des s enu cripti on o f me Doe n s u n it 't ems use do w ll a r it r e sign s p r s ices as w Stro ords ng u se o f th e me mate rials San s Se rif Com b in ation High ly D eco r a ti Use ve of a ll low e Use r c ase of a ll up per Cen case ter A li g ned Left A li gne d Righ t Alig ne d Use s2A lignm ents Use s 3 A lig n m ents Use s Ph or m otog ore raph Use s s Illu stra tions U s e s Bo th Use s Ne it h e r Use s Pa ttern s Con tain s im age Othe s of r info food item o nm Des s enu cripti on o f me Doe n s u n it 't ems use do w ll a r it r e sign s p r s ices as w Stro ords ng u se o f th e me mate rials

Serif Serif

xtra

of e

U se

xtra

of e

Use

xtra

of e

Use

1. Burning Bush Restaurant 2. Chez Panisse 3. Club Casablanca 4. DB Bistro Moderne

3. Fine Dining Menus

1. Four Seasons Toronto 2. Kings Garden 3. Sandtrap Bar & Grill 4. Scrimshaw Tavern 5. Splendido 6. The Bay Tower Room 7. The Dome Grill 8. San Angel 9. The Golf Grill 10. The London Bar on Broadway

2. Hotel/Resort Menus

1 1 1 1 1 1 8

1 1

1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 2 8 10 0

1 1 1 1 1 1 1

1 1 1

1 1

1 1 1 1 1 1

1 1

1 1 1

1 1

1 1 1 1 1

1 1

1 1 1 1

1 1 1

1 1

1 1 1

1 1

1 1 1 1

1 1 1 1 1

1 1 1 1

1 1

1 1 1 1

1 1 7

1 1 1 1 1

OTHER

Serif

1. Glatt China 2. Gontaro 3. Kang Suh Restaurant 4. Kyoto 5. Prime 10 Steak & Sushi 6. Sakura Japanese Restaurant 7. Shanghai Garden 8. The Peach Blossom 9. Sura 10. Tse Yang

IMAGES

1. Asian Menus

TEXT

Breaks up sections with blocks of colour, upper case headings Upper case headings Elaborate illustrations throughout (all pink)

NOTES

Illustrations of food on cover

Upper case headings Upper case headings, info on artist Upper case headings

Handmade, colourful, collage of shapes/ food items on front and back cover, Handwritten type Menu also in arabic Menu items written on diagonal, upper case headings Upper case headings

NOTES

Intricate cover design

NOTES Very minimal colours just black & green - mainly informative

COMEDY: Characters

San s Se rif Com bin a ti on High ly D ecor a ti Use v e of a ll low er c U s a e s of a e ll u ppe Cen r ca ter A se ligne d Left A li g ned Righ t Alig ned Use s2A lignm ents Use s3 A li gn m e Use nts o s Ph r mo otog re raph Use s s Illu stra tions U s e s Bo th Use s Ne it h e r U s e s Pa ttern s Con tain s im ag e Othe s of r info food item on m Des s enu crip ti o n of me Do e n s u n item 't us s e do write ll a r sign s pr s ices as S tr w o ords ng u se o f the U me mate rials San s Se rif Com bin a ti on High ly D e co r a ti Use v e of a ll low er c U s a e s of a e ll u ppe Cen r ca ter A se ligne d Left A li g ned Righ t Alig ned Use s2A lignm ents Use s3 A li gn m e Use nts o s Ph r mo otog re raph Use s s Illu stra tions U s e s Bo th Use s Ne it h e r U s e s Pa ttern s Con tain s im ag e Othe s of r info food item on m Des s enu crip ti o n of me Do e n s u n item 't us s e do write ll a r sign s pr s ices as S tr w o ords ng u se o f the U me mate rials

Serif Serif

xtra

se o fe

xtra

se o fe

xtra

se o fe

100

Figure 31 – Results from Group A Menu Database Analysis (Burden, 2010)

1. Burning Bush Restaurant 2. Chez Panisse 3. Club Casablanca 4. DB Bistro Moderne

3. Fine Dining Menus

1. Four Seasons Toronto 2. Kings Garden 3. Sandtrap Bar & Grill 4. Scrimshaw Tavern 5. Splendido 6. The Bay Tower Room 7. The Dome Grill 8. San Angel 9. The Golf Grill 10. The London Bar on Broadway

2. Hotel/Resort Menus

1 1 1 1 1 1 8

1 1

1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 2 8 10 0

1 1 1 1 1 1 1

1 1 1

1 1

1 1 1 1 1 1

1 1

1 1 1

1 1

1 1 1 1 1

1 1

1 1 1 1

1 1 1

1 1

1 1 1

1 1

1 1 1 1

1 1 1 1 1

1 1 1 1

1 1

1 1 1 1

1 1 7

1 1 1 1 1

OTHER

Serif

1. Glatt China 2. Gontaro 3. Kang Suh Restaurant 4. Kyoto 5. Prime 10 Steak & Sushi 6. Sakura Japanese Restaurant 7. Shanghai Garden 8. The Peach Blossom 9. Sura 10. Tse Yang

IMAGES

1. Asian Menus

TEXT

Breaks up sections with blocks of colour, upper case headings Upper case headings Elaborate illustrations throughout (all pink)

NOTES

Illustrations of food on cover

Upper case headings Upper case headings, info on artist Upper case headings

Handmade, colourful, collage of shapes/ food items on front and back cover, Handwritten type Menu also in arabic Menu items written on diagonal, upper case headings Upper case headings

NOTES

Intricate cover design

NOTES Very minimal colours just black & green - mainly informative

COMEDY: Characters

San sS e r if Com bina tion High ly D ecor ative Use of a ll low e Use r c ase of a ll u p p er c Cen ase ter A li gne d Left A li gne d Righ t Alig ne d Use s2A lignm ents Use s 3 A lig n m ents Use s Ph or m otog ore r a Use p hs s Il lustr ation U s s e s Bo th Use s Ne it h e r Use s P a ttern s Con tains ima g e Othe s of r info food item on m Des s enu cr ip ti o n of me Do e n s u n item 't us s ed o write ll a r sig s pr ns ices as S tr w o ords ng u se o f the U me mate rials San sS e r if Com bina tion High ly D ecor ative Use of a ll low e Use r c ase of a ll u p p er c Cen a se ter A li gne d Left A li gne d Righ t Alig ne d Use s2A lignm ents Use s 3 A lig n m ents Use s Ph or m otog ore r a Use p hs s Il lustr ation U s s e s Bo th Use s Ne it h e r Use s P a ttern s Con tains ima g e Othe s of r info food item on m Des s enu cr ip ti o n of me Do e n s u n item 't us s ed o write ll a r sig s pr ns ices as S tr w o ords ng u se o f the U me mate rials

Serif

xtra

se o fe

xtra

se o fe

xtra

se o fe

101

IMAGES

OTHER

1 3

1 1

14 1 6

1 1 1 1 1 1 1

1 1

1 1 4

0 6

1 1

1 1 1

1 1

1 6

1 1 1

1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

12 0 4

1 1

1 1 1 1 1 1 1

1 1 1

1 1 1 1

20 67 13 7 20 33 53 93 7 40 7 7 27 0 40 47 7 40 100 80 0 27 7

1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

Percentage

10 2

1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

1 1

TEXT

San s Se rif Com bina tion High ly D ecor Use at o f all lo ive wer case U s e of a ll up per case Cen ter A ligne d Left Alig ned Righ t Alig ne U s e s2A d lignm ents Use s3 Use Alignme s Ph nts o oto r mo U s e re s Illu graphs stra tions Use s Bo t h Use s Ne ither Use s Pa ttern s Con tains imag Oth e e s r info o on m f food it e ms enu Des cript ion o f me n u ite Doe ms sn't u s e do llar s w r it igns e s pr ices Stro as w n g o u se of th rds eme Use

Number

1. Delucas 2. Dockyard 3. Grind 4. Isobar 5. Kitami 6. Nagisa 7. Silo Bar 8. Soho 9. The Deopt 10. The Kitchen 11. The Grain 12. Three Monkeys 13. Vietking 14. Zinc 15. Eurobar

LOCAL

Serif

COMEDY: Characters

ater

ials am

of e xtr

Figure 32 – Results from Group B – Local Menu Analysis (Burden, 2010)

102

Very plain menu, black and white A4 with only decorative the logo once photographs of the setting and the food, recognisable corporate identidy use of logo on every page as decoration. Uses brown 'grind' colours. Modern menu with textured background, follows theme and colours of restaurant very plain mismatched menu, no consistency looks unprofessional. Professional, uses black red and gray as colours, repeats swirl illustration used in logo simple, uses logo as decorations. Uses colours and patterns to create different yet unified version. Profesh. Black bakcground makes unique. Logo is blown up as decoration. brown paper, not laminated, very unique. Only image is knife and fork. Very strong corporate identidy. Cover uses left alignment. Recognisable as 3 monkeys. Very professional and clean. Uses logo as only image. Plain, some use of colour seperates sections black and white, nicely set out & typography, uses logo as illustration. Simple Uses eurobar swirl logo as pattern. Simple, profesh.

NOTES

SAKURA

Decoratives

Indicatives

Balance

Floral pattern used corners Top Headings menu section

Informatives

centered Text inside dinner box

Avg.

20% 21.5

!""#$%%&'(&)$%*+,#+-*&.$/&0'1$#& 2$+"3-4&Centre

Proximity

15% 8

Alignment

Menu items left, prices row

Repetition

Layouts of page same

Contrast

Ilustration on Cover Flowers

White Space

flowers breakup space

14 items

20%

SPLENDIDO

Decoratives

Balance

centred italic text

Description menu items

7% 8.6

Boxes seperate DInner box, hours, Weddings info

28% 23.5

15% 12

Blank pageinside cover

50%

Indicatives

15% 26.6

30%

Informatives

two logos on back page

30%

Proximity

Alignment

sub-headings centered menu items

30%

Repetition

Contrast

Frontcover illustration

White Space

blank page w image

7 items

40%

15%

logo on back page

15%

30%

45%

103 Â

FERNIDADS

Decoratives

Balance

frontcover image

Indicatives

Informatives

17%

Proximity

Alignment

headings menu items menu descriptions

32%

Repetition

prices below each other

17%

Contrast

frontcover image

17%

White Space

6 Items

back cover left blank

18%

CHILIS GRILL Decoratives

Balance

32%

Indicatives

17%

50%

Informatives

patternpage borders

18%

Proximity

Alignment

Subheadings

Repetition

subheadings

Contrast

froncover illustration

descriptions of items

32%

18%

frontcover decoration

32%

White Space

6 Items

50%

18%

32%

104 Â

BAKERYCAFE Decoratives

Indicatives

Informatives

illustrations food

custom catering info

Balance

Proximity

illustrations food

33%

Alignment

divides items columns menu descriptions

22%

Repetition

columns

11%

Contrast

logo on front cover

White Space

frontcover blank

9 Items

33%

THE KITCHEN Decoratives

Balance

logo on front cover

22%

11%

33%

Indicatives

Informatives

knife fork illustration knife fork illustration

descriptions list

42%

Proximity

Alignment

single item list centre lists of items

30%

Repetition

Contrast

simple use of 2 coloursheadings in bold

28%

White Space 7 items

30%

31%

42%

28%

31.65

36.35

Figure 33 – Relationship Between Design Principles and Visual Grammar (Burden, 2010)

105