Part 4 Exercise 4: A menu card

In order to make this illustration I had to researchand look at existing resturants, I had a look for local ones aswell as european as that was part of the brief. these are some of the examples of menu illustrations and website images or logos.Each place had illustrations relating to the type of food they are known for, some are more cartoonish and modern while some are traditionally themed. and others are illustrations of the name of the resturant.

 

Menu research local

DOWN THE HATCH. (n.d.). DOWN THE HATCH. [online] Available at: https://www.downthehatchliv.co.uk [Accessed 22 Aug. 2021].

Harvester. (n.d.). Harvester Restaurants – Home of Great Value Family Food. [online] Available at: https://www.harvester.co.uk [Accessed 22 Aug. 2021].

Cowshed Liverpool. (n.d.). Menus. [online] Available at: https://www.cowshedliverpool.co.uk/menus/ [Accessed 22 Aug. 2021].

www.minerva-creative.com, M.C. - (n.d.). Sapporo Teppanyaki | Japanese Cuisine with a Western Twist. [online] Sapporo Teppanyaki - Japanese Restaurant - Manchester & Liverpool. Available at: https://www.sapporo.co.uk [Accessed 22 Aug. 2021].

ALMOST FAMOUS. (n.d.). Burgers Manchester | Almost Famous | England. [online] Available at: https://www.almostfamousburgers.com [Accessed 22 Aug. 2021].

theflorist.uk.com. (n.d.). Welcome | The Florist Restaurant and Bar in Liverpool | The Florist. [online] Available at: https://theflorist.uk.com/locations/liverpool.

Anon, (2018). | Cargo Seafood Restaurant. [online] Available at: https://www.cargoseafoodrestaurant.co.uk [Accessed 22 Aug. 2021].

 

I think the simple design kind of makes the restaurant seem mysterious and unique, and the lack of detail promotes a sense of sophistication. When looking at some European restaurants a lot of their logos where minimal and not too much. I took this as inspiration except I focused on the illustration rather then the text.

I mind mapped all the things to do with a fish restaurant and the sea and chose a swordfish which I played with drawing making it out of rope, using the minimal style, with a rope wrapped around the whole thing and then just a simple line drawing. I didn’t come up with the anchor till I moved digital, and I was thinking what else to add to just give it that extra something. On the video below the designs you can see me use the rope and manipulating it around the nose and drawing a anchor at the bottom of it. Also, you can see me trying to pick colours and backgrounds to fit the theme the best and stand out more. It turned out well, I think it is a strong design and with the use of fluid art and abstract colour it fits with the (modern, colourful, and bright) theme.

I used these pictures to get the anatomy of the fish right and made the simple line drawing.

 

 

 My logo I thought of trying out a mixture of minimalism as well as the colourful abstract side of contemporary art and fluid art. These together I feel create a modern atmosphere and I still tried to keep the design true to my own style which because done digitally also makes it rather modern. I did 3 versions to see which reflected the brief as well as the theme of contemporary art. I started out by using the minimalistic approach, just black lines one thicker then the others to show a general outline of the fish, they didn’t all connect either and i only used 2 other colours. The circle for the eye in red and blue squiggle for the inside of the body of the swordfish were an attempt at including some abstract and the colours I was thinking of without adding to much, similarly to these restaurants.

I then did another in which I thought of things to do with the sea. I chose a swordfish as I feel it suggests the restaurant is powerful and successful, this is shown by the swordfish holding up a heavy anchor attached to the end of its nose (sword) I simply used a picture of an anchor and a rope tied to a dock and pasted it onto the end of the swordfish and connected them all together and manipulated it in a way I could draw the rope wrapped around the nose. It turned out well, I think it is a strong design and with the use of fluid art and abstract colour it fits with the (modern, colourful, and bright) theme.The only other element being abstract in this is the singular blue jagged stripe. I think only the small amount of colour is effective, it gives a background to an illustration and keeps the focus directed to the body of the swordfish.

 

 

 

I had a search for what contemporary art was as it has such a variety of meanings to different artists. Whilst doing this I found my inspiration from this artist who makes modern fluid art: Mark Chadwick, I like his technique of using swirls, the movement of the paint and the way waves form in his pieces, they’re really eye catching. Rather than just using a spontaneous free flowing picture I used this technique but confined the colourful fluid art within the lines of my swordfish illustration.

Tate (2017). Contemporary art – Art Term | Tate. [online] Tate. Available at: https://www.tate.org.uk/art/art-terms/c/contemporary-art.

example of marks work....

markchadwick.co.uk. (n.d.). Mark Chadwick Art. [online] Available at: https://markchadwick.co.uk/ [Accessed 22 Aug. 2021].

The word ambience I think of warm cosy colours and when I think of the fish restaurant I thought of cooler blues and green for the sea. I used reds, orange, green, yellow, and blue as my main colours as I felt they complimented each other nicely. I firstly just faded each colour together to kind an idea and then did some raandom squiggles and marks which I swirled on the version underneath. They were done by using a swirl and liquify tool on the app procreate where I dragged certain parts of the lines and blobs of colours to create what I did.

 

 

After completing these designs I placed them on a van as if they were transporting resaurant goods and such as well as pasting them on an example menu.

 

 

 

 

 

This menu was referenced fform an existing restaurant below

scotts-restaurant.com. (n.d.). Menus | Seafood & Fish Restaurant | Scott’s, Mayfair. [online] Available at: https://scotts-restaurant.com/menus/ [Accessed 23 Aug. 2021].

Reading my feedback I have rethought of a different design of the logo/illustration, while vegans or vegaterians wouldnt step into a fish resturaunt the concept of the art may suggest the swordfish is being killed which as a customer may not be the best thing to advertise. A strong logo never the less i can maybe see this as a play on the realities of the fishing or seafood industry, it could be used maybe as an illustration to an exposing article or campaign of some sort.

As for the changes I made I kept the anchor and colours and the swordfish but took away the rope and instead made it so the anchor is behind or almost like a nautical tattoo. The message of it being a fish resturant is there but it has a less morbidity.

I feel like the white blue and black version appeals to the posher, simplistic and classy theme where as the coloured seems abit more approachable in the sense it offers a bit more character maybe more intruiging to a bigger audience.