Margaret’s is a Cafe Restaurant that’s goal is to transport the diner back to their childhood, to be having dinner or lunch on the back porch of their grandma’s house. The cafe contains classy landscape paintings done by my own grandfather, and lace tablecloths and trinkets all around like my grandma displays in their home.
Problem
Some people either were raised without grandmas, or without grandmas that they were close to. In order to offer people a chance at that feeling, or provide a nostalgic, cheery experience for others, Margaret’s serves to help. Everyone deserves to feel love, comfort and warmth.
Research
For this restaurant, the vibe and interior feel was a huge aspect for me, as I was trying to create something reminiscent of my Grandma’s house from my childhood. I spent a lot of time there and have only positive memories, so I want to do my best to transport consumers to that world.
Logo
Final Logo
I wanted to play into the mid century modern style, always beloved by my grandmother and my mom. I created this caricature of my grandma in response and added on the final tagline: “Where every meal is a hug.”
Style Tile
I went for grandmother, vintage type colors for this, along with mostly hand-written type.
Menu
I wanted the menu to be doiley shaped, to mimic the many doilies my grandmother had around the house when I was growing up. I wanted it to have the hand drawn-on feel.
Merchandise and Collateral
I wanted to tap into grandma-related collateral items, thus the apron, the stationary set, and the mugs. I also wanted to reach for simple, yet homey and practical.
Get Brooke Feenie’s stories in your inbox
Join Medium for free to get updates from this writer.
Website
I wanted to keep the website humble and easy to use, yet on brand with the design. I opted for simplicity here, on the thought that people of all ages could use the site.
User Flow
It starts at the home page, with a bar at the top for navigation, the bar stays at the top through options.
Packaging
I wanted to focus the idea of taking the memories to go, keeping the designs simple. I opted to keep the monogram portrait on each design, pandering to emotions.
Advertising
I wanted to pander to emotions here, to have people think about their own grandmas in various spaces. The subway ad, for instance, calls for viewers to “Visit their Grandma”, serving as a reminder of our loved ones, but also encouraging for people to come experience the vibe of the restaurant.
Reflection:
This project pushed me in ways I never expected, and has caused me to become a better designer because of it. My other work is very different from this, so I knew I wanted to challenge myself and I am glad I did
Designer: Brooke Feenie
