Brief

Thai Elephant have been in business for over 20 years, run by a family of five. I was approached by one of the sons of the family to create a new identity for the restaurant. It was important that some original elements of the brand be kept to maintain familiarity, but also that the visual identity got a much needed refresh and update to feel more contemporary.

Concept

I was told that it was important to the father that an elephant be kept as part of the brand so we started with the logo. Opting for a more subtle side profile and use of ink brush textures this acted as a foundation for the rest of the creative direction. The palette was pulled from a reference image provided to me from the client, with the more neutral colours creating a more refined and light feel.

As the logo had an organic texture, more hand drawn illustrations were added to create a cohesive set of creative elements. This included some small bits of iconography as well as some detailed drawings of the ingredients found in East and South East Asian cuisines.

When approaching the menu layout, it was challenging as over the years Thai Elephant’s menu had expanded quite a bit, with the original menu being spread across a sheet of A3 - front and back. The client was determined to get the menu down to one side, so the compromise we reached was that the menu was designed at a custom portrait size, meaning we could make it long enough to fit all the items on.