brand modification
website redesign
The Jardinière brand needed a refresh. With restaurants being so competitive in San Francisco, Traci Des Jardins and staff felt that they needed a face-lift for this signature modern French restaurant in Hayes Valley. Their original brand and website was sophisticated, dark and mysterious and didn’t seem to attract the current food culture of the city or reflect Traci's personality or desired experience for her customers.
Given their proximity to the War Memorial Opera House and Davis Symphony Hall in San Francisco, they catered mostly to ballet and symphony attendees and lacked the neighborhood attention; their restaurant was not getting noticed by locals or new customers even though they were on the edge of the popular Hayes Valley.
Keywords in developing their brand:
- Fine Dining
- Experience
- Innovators
- Camaraderie
- Destination
- Authentic
To set Jardinière apart, we introduced dynamic, artful, black and white photography with color imagery to compliment the sophisticated palette and innovative style of the restaurant. A brighter color and use of a monogram created a more relevant and current brand.
Given the streamlined use of the brand and applications, we developed a single-page style guide to communicate graphic standards.
Photography by Ed Anderson
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brand development
communication materials
Worked with CUESA to make the organization more visible and communicate its mission to the public. Its approach is to create a sustainable food system through education and direct marketing between consumers and farmers.
Initially, during brand development, there was interest highlighting the U in the name because it emulated a market basket. The concept was simplified with the bold use of a bright tomato red color. This fresh look worked well once it was co-branded with the complexity of the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market identity.
In addition, bold graphics were created to highlight their location and involvement at the Ferry Plaza Farmers Market. Talking bubble graphics was introduced to illustrate an open conversation which is part of their mission -- sustainable education between consumers and farmers.
brand identity
graphic standards
Developed a brand system for MacArthur Station; a new, urban infill neighborhood in Oakland directly adjacent to the MacArthur BART station. By replacing an at-grade parking lot with a mixed use, mixed-income community, MacArthur Station joins surrounding neighborhoods such as Temescal, Rockridge, Uptown Oakland on the list of up-and-coming Oakland neighborhoods.
Worked with Bridge Housing to communicate the vision for MacArthur Station through graphics and messaging for both developers and the community. A versatile logotype was created that could be used with an eclectic mix of colors and graphic styles, from bright lettering to photo vignettes, to public art.
The logotype for MacArthur Station uses modified block letters in a dynamic arrangement. A super graphic treatment of the logotype in print and environmental graphics gives life and flexibility to the brand. These elements signal new opportunities for living, shopping and dining near one of the Bay Area’s primary transit hubs; an ideal location for the high-density, low-impact market.
Besides setting standards for implementing the brand, the standards book outlines the story of MacArthur Station as the Bay Area’s most transit-oriented community and graphics capture the vibrance and potential of the neighborhood.
