Restaurant Collateral: The Perfect Match!
This month we had the pleasure of designing branded matchbooks for some of our favorite BentoBox restaurants. We had no problem tapping into the wealth of inspiration online to get the creative juices flowing. We picked three concepts, yielding three very unique results. The biggest takeaway from these take aways: matchbooks are a fun and beautiful way to advertise some extra information like addresses, operating hours, or even cocktail recipes!
Los Tacos №1
The restaurant I selected to design a matchbook for was: Los Tacos №1. It’s uncommon to see matchbooks as a takeaway item in Mexican restaurants, so there was a lot of room for creativity. Los Tacos №1 is a chain in NYC so I came up with the idea of focusing on the border between Mexico and the United States for a shared aesthetic of the two countries. I wanted to create a very illustrative cover that would catch the customer’s eye. I really liked the idea of using a desert scene with a cactus and explored colors that would evoke the feeling of a desert sunset.
The main graphic I landed on for the cover was this cactus I constructed out of matches. The trunk is a perfectly preserved match flanked by two arms, one still ignited and the other extinguished, creating a cloud of smoke that houses the logo. Behind the cactus you see the silhouette of a mountain range as the sun sets behind it, casting a shadow behind the cactus and its other plant friends. I used salmon, maroon, cream and gold to harness the colors of the desert approaching dusk. On the inside of the matchbook I added in locations of each restaurant using the classic marker font we have come accustomed to associating with Mexican cuisines.
Written By: James Coviello
Little Palm
When choosing a concept, I went back to one of my Charleston favorites, Little Palm. The breezy poolside cocktail bar, presented a unique challenge and opportunity for the design to be lively but informative. Starting off with themes from my mood board, I knew I wanted the design to be vibrant, illustrated and showcase unique messaging. Focusing on the main imagery first, I liked the idea of a “motel” keychain. This nods to not only their location at The Ryder Hotel, but also the playful cocktail names featured on their menu.
After the research phase, I was pretty much sold on this concept of a “motel” keychain. Constructing it with Little Palm’s colors, typefaces, and “a good time state of mind” slogan, this really began to take shape. From there, I wanted to explore utilizing their organic pattern that features obscure shapes and leaves to ensure all sides of the matchbook felt branded. On the interior, I thought this would be the perfect place to explore iconography, alternative logo placements, and information that would bring a customer back time and time again. I mean, who doesn’t love a good happy hour!?
Written by: Kayla Scheidel
Gathre
As a Nashville native, I choose the sophisticated Gathre for my matchbox design. Exploring Gathre’s branding and interior design led me to use art deco inspired elements including thin line work, simple curvy shapes and subtle geometric patterns. I really leaned into the use of the arch seen on the website’s images on the homepage for the front of the matchbox. I also took note of the single gold line accents used on the site’s buttons and hero images. Since Nashville is such a tourist destination, I felt including the hours of operation was a great option for this concept as a take away to let customers know they not only have a great dinner and cocktail menu, but also delicious brunch options.
For the design I used the brand’s diamond background texture as the base and included gold accent line work similar to the website’s buttons. I placed the main logo on the side of the matchbox for an unexpected, contemporary element. The hours are framed by a gold border similar to the borders on their website’s menu page. Overall the matchbox design imparts the same refined art deco feel as the restaurant’s interior and website.
Written by: Leanna Myers
