Swollen

Brand Identity Proposal — Eat, Drink, Cook Concept

1/2 John St, Sligo.

02/07/2010

Contents

Executive Summary

Contents

Executive Summary

Pg 3 4 6 7 8 9 11 13 15 16 17 19

Executive summary Setting the Tone Similar Brands Target Market The brand proposal Elements of the Brand Marketing Campaign and Launch Night Rationale Design Brief Our Fee Client testimonials Contact details

The following document has been produced by Swollen to present an overview of how we as a design studio will approach the creation of a new brand for the Eat, Drink, Cook Concept.

We have taken the project brief provided and responded with an approach that considers in detail what is needed to establish your new brand, from its overall concept and marketplace considerations to its rationale and physical application.

This document is an excercise in defining both the tasks required in creating the brand as well as outlining the fundamental aspects we feel your brand should communicate in order to reach its full potential and ultimately become a commercial success.

Our role as designers is to understand what we are communicating for and in turn what you the client wants to communicate. We shall use this document to show how we understand the project brief and its potential.

We treat this document as the first step, it is an exploration of the creative ideas and language that we as a studio will persue in the creation of your brand. This is a roadmap to the realisation of an effective, exciting and innovative brand as well as its future.

Š Swollen owns the copyright for this document and all its contents. This proposal should be considered private and confidential and may not be shared with any third party without the prior written permission from Swollen.

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brand identity proposal

— eat, drink, cook concept

brand identity proposal

— eat, drink, cook concept

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Setting the tone Setting the tone

Setting the tone

Out of breath with a slightly spinning head, eyes down focused on a rough gravel track that will lead me up to the edge of the mighty Ben Bulben. The smell of the heather being blown in the wind invigorates me, I have given up stopping to pause and now I just want to get there. The ground flattens out and soon it begins to slope away before dropping off completely to a sharp cliff that makes you want to throw rocks off the edge just to hear them bounce off the sides on the way down. I take the time needed to catch my breath and then hear myself mumbling out loud... “wow”.

Looking out across Sligo bay across the Atlantic’s horizon, the deep blue of the sea merging into the pale blue sky. Magical, the sort of vista you dont want to turn away from, but eventually do.

From where I sit now, through the window I can almost see the spot where I was standing just a few hours ago. I am glad of the clear glass panes that protect me from the wind whilst at the same time providing me with the perfect vantage point for observing the town going about its daily business. The slight opulence of the chair I am sitting in affords me a comfort that the hillside rocks would not. Gently tired from struggling up that mountain I decide to allow myself to fade away for a few hours. Over my shoulder a young lady places a chilled bottle of Viognier on the table, taking the time to tell me where the wine has come from before pouring me a healthy glass and setting the bottle into a cooler. As I chat about my day she listens with sincerity and then leaves me to my thoughts.

I take the time to observe my surroundings. There’s a gentle bustle of sun-kissed surfers sitting across from me chatting away about their day. I wonder if they had taken the time to venture up Ben. The waiters and waitresses busy themselves without ever looking rushed, and whilst they are happy to leave me sitting alone they cast a smile my way whenever I look around to make sure I know they are there.

There is a scent of freshly baked bread wafting through the air that reminds me of when my grandmother used to leave the back door to the kitchen open whilst she tolied away creating her culinary masterpieces. I ease into the chair, take out an old battered paperback full of Irish poetry, and think to myself, “well if I am ever going to read Yeats it should be now.” After some time the smell of cooking, the sounds of other people’s conversations and the fruity wine remind me of my growing hunger.

It’s time to call a friend and invite them here to share my day.

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brand identity proposal

— eat, drink, cook concept

I signal my intent to the waitress and in time I am invited downstairs, where I find a room full of similarly hungry folk. I spy my friend already installed at the table staring at the busy kitchen firing out plate after plate of delightful-looking food.

The menu tells me that whatever I choose to eat it has come from someone somewhere who cares about what they do. There’s a portrait of a content fisherman holding up his catch on the wall behind us and instantly my eyes skirt the menu for a seafood chowder.

As we plough our way through our dinners every bite brings us closer to some part of the west, and occasional comments get slipped into our conversation “... now that’s a fine carrot.”

I find an excuse to get up and stroll around; I want to intrude on other people’s tables to see what they are eating. I toy with the idea of sneaking into the kitchen.

I see giant images on the walls that tell the story of where everything comes from: families who decided that making cheese was their true calling, and crab fishermen who ply their trade on the shores of lough Gill. There’s an excited humming sound to the whole space that can only come from the most content of people. Both the people and the space seem to be working in harmony to create that atmosphere you get around a family’s kitchen table the night before Christmas. I nestle back into my seat with a sense of warmth and just as I start to drift away again I notice a clock on the wall.

“God, is that the time?”

brand identity proposal

— eat, drink, cook concept

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Similar Brands

Target Market

Similar Brands

Target Market

From the outset there are a number of brands that we have been asked to consider that have a similar operation and approach to what you envisage your business will become. It is worth establishing how brands like Avoca and Ballymaloe have developed in order to support the logic of our proposal.

Avoca as a brand leans heavily on its original heritage as Avoca handweavers a co-op handweaving mill run by three sisters in the Avoca valley of Wicklow, long before it had established its restaurants or written its cook books an association had been built up with its original roots and heritage, one that is still very much reflected in its branding today. The tourists that first flocked to Avoca did so to buy the unique shalls and throws they created, although the sisters were long gone the essence of the mill remained. Avoca established a small cafe and from there they began to build on that history. The wholesome, rustic style of food and atmosphere fitted perfectly with their surroundings and the ethos and practice of that orignal mill supported the brand they were creating. Honest home cooked food in Irish surroundings.

The same can be said for the identity of Ballymaloe. Ballymaloe house traces its origins back to the 15th century and the house itself has been in the hands of the Allen family for over 50 years, they set up a small shop in the 1970’s and have been building the Ballymaloe brand ever since. Again as in the case of Avoca this brand is built on an actual history and therefore an identity such as Ballymaloes makes sense.

People trust the brand not just for the quality of what it produces but also because it has business enterprises associated with that brand spread over three generations of the same family.

In proposing a style of brand for Eat, Drink, Cook we have to be aware that this historical association will not exist and it would be counter productive to try and replicate a brand identity of this style. We should look to what you are truly offering.

We need to build a brand that whilst has the same sentiments and approach to what it does as the likes of Avoca and Ballymaloe it is true to itself and contemporary in its style.

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brand identity proposal

— eat, drink, cook concept

Your average customer is going to be one of the following; Someone in their mid thirties, they will have young children and are begining to become aqutely aware of the environment around them, they have children now and are starting to think about their futures and the legacy that will be left for them.

They openly talk about recycling and sustainable organic farming. They buy cotton bags to save on plastic waste, they have toyed with the idea of using cloth nappies if they aren’t already. Gone are the days of student lunches and cheap cider. They are young professionals who have got to a stage where they can afford the finer things in life. Most of them will have spent a significant amount of money on their beds and sofas. They probably drive Volvos or Audis. They wont mind spending a little bit more money on something if they believe it is something of quality or indeed unique. When they sit down to have a meal they revel in the idea that they may know the farmer who grew the lettuce that is in their salad. They know that it is perfectly feasible to eat a carrot in a restaurant in Sligo that has come from Sligo and they want that also.

On the other hand you have a surfer who spends seven hours on a saturday afternoon in the freezing cold Atlantic waiting for the perfect wave, all the while they sit there building up a savage hunger and an even greater thirst. They are already deeply aquainted with the environment around them. When they dry off at the end of the day they want a massive plate of food and a comfortable chair to sit on.

Then there is your honest to god local who buys their bread from a baker or shop keeper whom they probably play football with. They like nothing more than to say out loud “oh yeh Sligo born and bred” Mixed into that is the customer who knows exactly what quality is. They don’t call cheddar cheddar unless its from Cheddar and the thought of an easi-single sandwich makes them angry. They like farmers markets, home-made breads comfortable clothes and walks in the countryside.

brand identity proposal

— eat, drink, cook concept

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The Brand Proposal

Elements of the Brand

The Brand Proposal

Elements of the Brand

We want to create a simple straightforward brand one that is honest, fresh and unique. We want to create a brand that focuses on what the ethos of Eat, Drink, Cook will be. We want to do all of this whilst focusing on the fact that what you sell has either been farmed or made in and around Sligo or by people from Sligo.

We propose exposing the background to your business in a new and original way.

We want to document the process that is involved in creating the final product and then within the space reveal where it all comes from. We believe the essence of the brand identity should be the people and places that make it possible. We want to develop a language and tone of voice that is ‘salt of the earth’, straightforward communication, with clear distinct messaging. We want to compliment all of this with insightful and unique photography that exposes in an honest and beautiful way the place in which this brand has been created.

The goal is to bring the world of organic artisan food and drink into your space in a visual and tactile way. As a result of the brand being about the people and places that make what you do unique it will in turn provide you with a unique brand.

The Logo The logo we design shall bolster the overall brand identity whilst staying true to the brief, to develop an identity that encompasses the three distinct elements of the business. In time the logo and name will garner reputation and familiarity, However at the initial stage of the project the logo should stand out from all of your competitors expressing the qualities of the service.

Tone of Voice and Typography The brand identity we are proposing is one that is open, clear and honest, we are not trying to create a brand that repersents a lifestyle more over we are creating a brand that taps into existing lifestyles. We need to be highly considerate of how we chose to express the brand in all of the content we produce. There needs to be a clever marriage between honesty and elegance. These elements of the brand ethos can be defiined within the tone of voice of the media as well as the use of typography.

The straightforward honest tone of language will serve to reinforce the overall identity created. People will not need to be convinced of what they are getting from the brand because it will all be factual. The style of typography and typeface selection for your brand is of upmost importance. With consideration given to choice of typeface and application to all forms of media alot can be communicated.

We want the typography to communicate that there is a distinct elegance to the brand, this will be further supported by choice of print materials, menus, signage etc.

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brand identity proposal

— eat, drink, cook concept

brand identity proposal

— eat, drink, cook concept

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Marketing Campaign and Launch Night Elements of the Brand

Marketing Campaign and Launch Night

Photography and Materials We feel that bespoke commissioned photography will form a fundamental part of the brand identity. The creation of the imagery surroundiing the brand will be cruical. We aim to produce images that reflect the true nature of everything involved in all three elements of the business. We want to show your customers the story behind the bangers and mash that they will eat. We want to do this in an open fashion whilst exploiting the inevitable quirkiness of ordinary people working in artisan enviornments. In building this brand around all the elements it brings together we are opening a door for beautiful photographic exploration and by using photography as the medium in which we chose to communicate we are being as honest as possible.

There should be no intention to stage the images in a traditional advertising fashion they should be raw examinations of everything from the field a carrot grows in to the deck of the boat that catches your fish.

The use of inherent material aesthetics in your media will provide us with an opportunity to illustrate to your customers that we say what we mean and do what we say. We propose an exploration of materials that shows this. We believe the natural materials can be used for not only printed materials but also internal and external signage. Much like only sourcing organic vegetables or cheese made in traditional methods we will exploit the use of materials to show your customers your brand ethos in action. We will print only on recycled stocks, we will use only sustainable inks, we will build into your design a limited use of colour and ink so your print media is as environmentally friendly as it can be.

We will also choose to tell people this, if the place mat on a table or the paper for your packaging has been sourced from a sustainable forest in Austria we will show them the background we will tell them about all of this in an up front manner that makes them feel better about taking home a paper bag, or buying your take away product because you have considered this. The correct selection and mixing of these materials will bring a unique look and feel to everything you do and will go hand in hand with the architectural fit out of the restaurant and wine bar.

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brand identity proposal

— eat, drink, cook concept

In order to establish a theme to your restaurant launch and marketing campaign that links in with our over all brand identity we are recommending an opening night exhibition of the brand photography. The exhibition can run for a select period of time after the initial opening night. This approach will be a way of introducing the space and theme of the Eat, Drink, Cook concept to the local population. It will give them access to the space to see what is going on inside without feeling that in order to see what is happening inside they have to book a table and sit down to eat. The opening night will also allow you to get the maximum amount of people into the building without having to serve everyone a full menu or dinner. The open house feel to an exhibition will communicate the idea that the space is for everyone and will generate a constant flow of people into the building for the important first few weeks after it is opened.

A marketing campaign can be designed around the exhibition which will tie in with slowly revealing the new space, we can exploit local media as well as create an interesting flyer and poster campaign around the surrounding areas to get people talking about what may be going on there. The messages communicated through the campaign will focus on the service that Eat, Drink Cook will offer. We propose taking full advantage of the buildings size and position. Whilst the internal build is going on, we can employ interesting poster media in the windows. This can evolve throughout the campaign generating a constant interest in what is going on while at the same time allowing us to conceal in an artistic way what is actually happening behind the scenes. We have the opportuinity to be very clever in how we get people thinking about the space over the period of time before the actual opening.

We intend to investigate a more innovative style of flyer campaign that will suggest the goal of the project, for example we can design a flyer that contains either herb or vegtable seeds, inviting the person receiving the flyer to think organically themselves which will tie into the cookery school.

The advertising format that goes with promoting an exhibition will be more in line with what we intend on doing for the. It will allow us a chance to communicate the ethos prior to Eat, Drink, Cook actually opening. Local marketplaces can be looked at as places to advertise the exhibition and will perfectly tie in with the brand. A simple web presence can be established to tell people more about the concept.

brand identity proposal

— eat, drink, cook concept

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Our Rationale Marketing Campaign and Launch Night

Our Rationale

The idea here is not to force people into thinking that there is just another restaurant or bar being opened in Sligo but that something far more substantial is going on. It will also be the first point of contact people will have with the brand and they will be able to see that the brand is all about their environment and way of life.

The target market for Eat, drink, Cook are the type of people where honesty and straightforwardness directly appeals. There are a number of levels to our rationale that suggests such an approach to the branding.

To begin with, the style of food and services that you are going to offer are down to earth in their nature. The food prepared in the cookery school as well as the food served in the restaurant is the type of food that relies on the quality of the ingredients that go into a dish. Similarly your brand should reflect this ethos. You do not need to create loads of frills around the food to make it taste better so why would you do the same around your brand.

The type of people the brand is aimed at are people to whom honesty of both product and style appeals. They do not require a lavish fabricated story or identity to convince them of why they should go somewhere in the first place; they want to go somewhere they will feel connected to in terms of its ethos.

We believe by focusing the brands identity on where it is being created will be key to its acceptance, by looking in-depthly at Sligo and its surrounds for a visual language we will be able to develop a brand that will grow out of the very people it is trying to attract. It will reveal a part of their world that will provide the local customer with their own sense of identity and in turn a sense of belonging to the space. The restaurant should become a talking point of Sligo a place where people can go to get an idea of what Sligo is all about. What is important about all of this is the way in which everything is portrayed, we want to show the lifestyle of Sligo through the brand and space in an honest and elegant manner.

The diverse nature of what will eventually happen in the space with all its various aspects will provide us with a huge pool of resources to tell stories and reveal the nature of what is going on. If we so choose we can create themes to the different levels to show the processes that go into each side of the brand we can create intrigue and interest to each space, with people wanting to move between the levels to investigate further all that is involved.

Your customers already go to farmers markets to buy food and artisan products, what you see at those markets is different produce from all over Sligo and that’s what the people who go there want to be apart of, they want to feel connected to where

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brand identity proposal

— eat, drink, cook concept

brand identity proposal

— eat, drink, cook concept

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Design Brief Our Rationale

Design Brief

they come from. The brand can visually connect all these places under one roof. Your customer who is cooking in the school will be able to see where the ingredients they are using come from and in turn feel connected to it.

The intention of focusing on the materials you choose for printed matter and application of brand identity is to hone in on the fact that a large portion of your customers will be environmentally conscious and by showing them you are also will appeal to that side of their nature. The logic behind telling them where everything may come from is to further enhance the honesty of the brand identity.

Finally we believe that a holistic approach to the brand identity such as this one will define the whole background idea to the business of having a range of things under one roof. It will appeal to the people of Sligo because it shows their way of life.

For those who have never been to Sligo it will be a place where they can come and see what Sligo is all about.

The Future Perhaps one of the most important factors of an identity such as this, is it’s future.

Whilst at the moment this particular concept is focused on Sligo it is one that ultimately is flexible to any place in the world. If you establish a set of brand guidelines based on what we are suggesting then you can take the idea anywhere.

To design a unique, exciting and fresh brand identity that shall encompass all three elements of your business, Wine Bar, Restaurant and Cookery school.

Our goal is to create a philosophy and image for the brand that has not been seen before and one that is diverse and adaptable across all the brands needs. Design responsibilities for the brand and its identity are listed overleaf and considered part of the overall brief. The studios job will include the overseeing of all the elements included below in order to create a new and exciting brand.

Fundamental to our brief is the development of a brand that has to potential to branch out and grow throughout Ireland and ultimately if needs be internationally.

This will also entail designing an identity that can be applied in a innovative way for future brand requirements such as packaging, cook books etc.

The studio also considers as a part of the brief the development of a marketing campaign in the build up to the opening of Eat, Drink, Cook as well as the concept and design of a launch party. Our task will be to generate in a interesting and engaging fashion an awarness of the brand and its philosophy prior to its launch.

This will include creating effective ideas to promote the initial launch whilst creating intrigue around the development of the space and its introduction to Sligo.

Our design brief will also extend to the production management of all the required collateral and brand applications included overleaf.

What will work for the people of Sligo today will work for the people of Cork tomorrow. If the fundamental aspects of creating a restaurant around the very place in which it exists is maintained and the core principles of the brand adhered to then every new branch out will be a unique restaurant. You will be selling a simple philosophy. Maintain Local suppliers, focus on the local surroundings, be environmentally friendly and do all of this under an honest, straightforward and elegant identity.

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brand identity proposal

— eat, drink, cook concept

brand identity proposal

— eat, drink, cook concept

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Our Fee

Client Testimonials

Our Fee

A Note on Our Fees:

Client Testimonials

Design fee for Eat, Drink, Cook overall brand identity 5,000 euro ex.v.a.t.

Design fee for marketing campaign and launch night 3,000 euro ex.v.a.t.

Amnesty International

Design fee for brand identity includes the following:

Swollen have worked with Amnesty International on a range of projects since 2008 ranging from developing the concept for a large scale presence at the Electric Picnic for the organisation, to developing the design and event concept for a national mental health and human rights campaign launch, to the production of designed and printed copies for five different print pieces.

Whilst there is an outline of the work required for this project listed as part of our fee proposal our experience has thought us that there is always a lot more involved than you think. It may be the simple things that the client needs consultation on or merely a sounding board for their own ideas, we believe this is all integral to the service we provide and whilst we may be giving thought to parts of the project that are not outlined in our brief we are happy to do so if it makes the project better as a whole.

• Brand philosophy and overall concept • Consultation for brand name • Development of a logo suite for all three elements of the business • Design for internal restaurant informational signage • Design for external restaurant signage • Design for wine bar menus • Design for restaurant menus • Application of design identity to uniforms for staff • Consultation on staff uniforms and uniform production • Design of restaurant stationary suite and Business cards • Art direction of any required photography for branding

In the case of Eat, Drink, Cook we believe it is a project of substantial size and one that will require a signifcant amount of input and time, building a new brand and identity is a large task especially given that in this case the identity will have to encompass three seperate elements presented as one. We have taken the time to assesS what is required of us as designers for this project in terms of creative input and time and we feel our fee accurately reflects that.

• Overall concept for interim marketing campaign • Concept for launch night • Design consultation for launch night • Design of print media required for launch night (invitations etc.)

• Design and application of identity to any print media required for marketing • campaign (posters, flyers etc.)

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Design fee for marketing campaign/ launch includes the following:

Mental health is an incredibly sensitive and divisive issue and one that is typically displayed in a very mundane and unimaginative way. Swollen have produced all our materials for the mental health campaign and have ensured that the campaign has been portrayed in a way that is creative, sharp, innovative and respectful of individuals we are campaigning for.

For an organisation like Amnesty International it is not an option for us not to make an impact with our work and how we portray issues. Swollen are unlike any other designers that I have worked with as they really take the time to understand what each job is trying to do, what the product needs to say and the desired impact on the reader. The end result has always been a piece of work that is imaginative, sensitive to the issue and of an extremely high professional quality. They have successfully portrayed a range of issues from detailed and technical financial data, human rights principles to policy reports in a way that is appropriate for each report. Rory and Rossi have always been deeply committed to each project, very thorough, highly professional, meticulous with detail and flexible to the needs and requirements of the organisation.

Karol Balfe, Mental Health Campaign Co-ordinator, Amnesty International.

brand identity proposal

— eat, drink, cook concept

brand identity proposal

— eat, drink, cook concept

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Contact Details Client Testimonials

Contact Details

Christy Moore I first worked with Rossi and Rory at Swollen when they designed the sleeve for my album “Listen” which was released on the Sony Music label and went number one in the charts for 5 weeks. Subsequently they designed the sleeve for my last DVD ‘”Come all you Dreamers”. I have enjoyed working with these guys, they are focused and they deliver on time. They are creative artists who recognise the requirements and needs of their client without compromising their own work ethic. I am happy to say that their work for me has been fruitful and I have enjoyed the process of working with them.

Swollen, South Studios, 27/28 New Row South, Dublin 8, Ireland www.swollen.ie rory@swollen.ie rossi@swollen.ie rory +353 86 845 4735 rossi +353 86 175 6940

Christy Moore

Redfor Marketing We’ve been working with Swollen on an ongoing basis for almost a year now. In that time we have found their approach to be refreshing, inspirational, creative and engaging - and perhaps most importantly in the current climate - innovative and effective within limited budgets. They are experts in delivering high-impact, thought-provoking campaigns, gently pushing us (on more than one occassion!) outside of our comfort zone to achieve the best results. We would have no hesitation at all in recommending Swollen. They will become a valued part of your team; bringing exciting new ideas to your business and helping you to strenghten your identity and brand.

Aisling Mustan, Redfor Marketing, Bristol

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brand identity proposal

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brand identity proposal

— eat, drink, cook concept

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