Mutton Quad: Canteen

Canteen are a small chain (4) of London-based restaurants that specialise in 'great british food' and often have famous celebs in for their reasonably priced nosh. Ooo err.

Fortunately for me though, one of my good friends is the manager of the Royal Festival Hall site and therefore on a couple of occasions I have been able to see how things work behind the scenes whilst witnessing the core values in action that the company hold close to heart.

To sum up, the company pride itself on serving (I'll say it again) 'great british food' with ingredients that are 100% self-sourced and handmade... I think that the only thing that isn't theirs is the classic Heinz Tomato Ketchup and HP Brown Sauce.

More interesting to me though (and obviously more relevant to this brief) are the design decisions and overall design direction for the interior decoration, the print based materials and the signage.


As shown the logo itself is very simplistic, yet it manages to hold certain elements of class and importance... two aspects that I'd like to achieve for this brief.

Also, although not too obvious at present (more photos to come) the menus, promo catalogues and on-sale cookbooks are very stylised in order look nothing short of classically British.

The type selection (alongside stock choice) instantly connote ration book qualities and help to tie the core themes together across the printed materials. I think the typeface used is something like Futura Bold or Gothic 725... will clarify later.

Of less importance (to me at least) is the way the decor also unites the experience... I could try to achieve the same effect through designing interactive wall spaces that take reference from contemporary wayfinding design you'd most likely find in museums?

More to come on the booklets and printed materials.

Mutton Quad: Mind Design

Not much to discuss here, there seems to be a continuing trend of what I deem relevant to the progression of this brief...

Conceptually aware and simply executed logotype that has been successfully applied across a broad range of print based media and interactive environments.

For the record though, I am sick of seeing 'tea' briefs.

Mutton Quad: Heydays

As with most of the work that comes out of the Heydays studio, I'm really inspired by the slick typographic treatment applied here for Berg & Berg.

Again the resolution is conceptually aware. The 'image' part of the logo illustrating snow-topped mountains in relation to a company specialising in Winter clothing.

The type itself is also modern, straight-forward and again suggestive of sophistication.

I do strive to use a bit of colour in my work, but again it would seem that I find myself loving the black and white/grey approach. Perhaps I'm scared of it?

Either way, relevance to the brief... conceptually relevant, straight-forward in it's communication and just plain sexy.

Mutton Quad: Manual Creative

This identity for Slice is a piece of design that I really admire due to it's conceptual execution.

The type treatment is relevant to the subject matter. It is uncluttered, to the point and straight-forward. These are all qualities that I find increasingly apparent in the work that I produce and more importantly qualities that I think will be crucial to the successfullness of the Mutton Quad resolution.

That aside, it is extremely useful to see a simple demonstration of how an identity can be applied across a broad range of media and (most significantly) an interactive space/environment.

(I also quite enjoy the relevant use of forward slashes that actually serve a purpose to the brief. I'm a little tired of seeing designers use these for no apparent reason other than to create design for designers).

Mutton Quad: Flink

There are multiple things that I like about the delivery of this brand identity.

The coloured logotype on a black&white photograph is a strong way of making the typographic elements stand out against image.

The typeface itself is also suggestive of sophistication. I have an inkling it has been edited a touch though.

Lastly, relative to formats I feel that the delivery of the brand across the print based media is clever and innovative... more so on the variety of business card reverse sides.

Mutton Quad: Motto Agency

The Hamilton Fray logo below is slick, typographically driven and straight-forward to execute. All of these design elements are aspects that I intend to achieve throughout this brief.

The typeface itself in my opinion conveys a somewhat classy swagger. This is probably assisted by the use of tones as opposed to colour. Again, these are things I am aiming to achieve within my own design.

Mutton Quad: The Brief

The brief essentially outlines the need for the branding of a typographically themed restaurant and all of the printed materials associated with the context. This includes both interior and exterior applications.

With this in mind I want to utilise very clear and concise typography that is in-keeping with my design practice. The brand itself will be minimal, simplistic and coherent throughout all mediums.

Printed materials in my mind will use a select few typefaces and challenge conventional layout systems. The same can be said for the formats of various items.

The copy itself will (at this stage) make reference to the theme of the environment and aim to make grammatical plays on typographic language.

Lastly, the restaurant 'theme' will also tap into the 'healthy eating, healthy living' plague that has been gripping the nation for the past decade or so. This will allow me to further my investigation into sustainable print and distribution technologies... being environmentally friendly and eating heathily seem to work hand-in-hand both morally and visually.

Initial Clarified Deliverables:

01. Brand identity / Logotype.
02. Signage and wayfinding systems.
03. Menu(s).
04. Staff uniforms (t-shirt at least).
05. Stationery (letterhead, compliment slip and business card).
06. Notepad for taking orders.