Description
En Passant, a chess term translating to “in passing,” is a cafe/restaurant where the love of chess and culinary delight collide. Step into the restaurant, and you’ll be surrounded by an atmosphere that’s as much about the game as it is about the experience. From chess-themed decor to comfortable seating for chess battles, you’ll feel right at home whether you’re a novice or a grandmaster. Every corner of En Passant is designed to evoke the ambiance of a grand chess match.
Mission Statement:
To create a unique and immersive culinary experience where the world’s oldest and most intellectual board game, chess, is celebrated in harmony with exquisite French cuisine.
Style Guide:
Logo & Type
This logo was inspired to create an elevated feel that inspires elegance with a slight amount of fun. The name “En Passant” took form after studying different iterations of chess. The term en passant means “in passing,” thus capturing the concept of the cafe to relate to the people ‘passing by’ the establishment. When choosing the elements of the logo, I considered a variety of crowns to evaluate which style fit most with the feel of the brand. different shapes, sizes, and angles were all taken into consideration, resulting in the slight tilt with little emphasis on the “e.” The subhead, Gambits of Flavor, was created to promote a variety of culinary delights to the audience.
In terms of typography, I wanted the type to be a modern serif, reflecting the modernness and elegance of the brand. It was about seriousness with the edge of fun, so I believed choosing a font with thin serifs and thick stems would reflect the elegance of the brand while the crown tilt separates this place from others.
Menu
The menu represented most of the elegance within the brand, with a clean layout as well as some accents within the content. My goal was to successfully experiment with scale, resulting in large lettering within the spreads. I created a system of my pieces to use within the headers, establishing a base for future pattern-making and other significant elements of the brand. The spreads went back and forth with reversed type while sticking to the color palette of the brand to ensure effective simplicity.
Environmental Design
I was inspired to make this brand not focus on the direct black-and-white checkered board, and rather have everything feel more organic with the earth-toned color palette chosen. The design of the tables within the restaurant would have a chessboard fused into the tables themselves, to make the experience of the customer more entertaining as well as limit excessive amounts of elements in front of them. The exterior of the restaurant uses a subtle pattern of chess pieces, as well as simple graphics on windows to perform the brand’s messaging. The mural on one side of the cafe was created to play with the effective scale of the “e”. Choose Your Gambit was created as the core message of the brand, as its boldness and simplicity puts the audience in the shoes of a chess player to choose their culinary desires. It would be a recurring element when designing the rest of the campaign.
Packaging
During the rough stages, I planned what the establishment would potentially offer, ranging from coffee bags to cup designs. I decided to focus the main message on the elegance and cleanliness of the brand, resulting in wine bottle packaging. Each flavor was inspired by a different chess piece, reflecting their feel on the chess board to the desired taste of wine. Along with wine, dessert packaging was considered through the amount of pastries France produces. They focus on the brand’s bold messaging while using hints of patterning. An alternate version of the logo was created for the packaging specifically to suit the symmetry and scale of the elements.
Collateral
The goal of the collateral was to make it cohesive with the rest of the brand. I pieced elements from previous designs to form an identity that can carry on from the restaurant itself. Tote bags were designed to carry boards or other belongings of customers, while T-shirts were designed to bring passion to the outside world. Cutlery was designed to mock the wine packaging, cradling the utensils with En Passant’s mark.
Advertising & Website
En Passant’s messaging is meant to be delivered strongly to the audience. With eye-catching photography and scale typography, I planned 3 advertisements to showcase the feeling of the environment of the restaurant. The website was designed by using elements from the menu and turning it into a scroll-through with a specified grid. Large headers with photographs that bleed off the page are meant to guide the user through the layout.
Conclusion
All in all, this project was an amazing adventure. Creating a brand from scratch while incorporating my passion for chess at the same time was the perfect opportunity for En Passant to come to life. I am genuinely proud of the work I’ve produced after countless hours of trial and error, along with the support of my mentor. I would love to see this place become a reality since this place is so unique and has so much potential. My techniques in branding have evolved, and I am excited to be putting what I’ve learned into future projects.
Credits
Designer: Orie Zaga
Instructor: Katey Stafford,
Tyler School of Art and Architecture, Temple University.
Stock Photography sourced from Adobe Stock + Unsplash.
