Graphic Design – Restaurant Graphics by Grant Gibson
An innovative and interesting design book which deserves a place upon the bookshelf of a Graphic Design Company.
The restaurant boom of the past couple of decades has both been a breeding ground for and relied heavily upon stunning and impressive graphic design. A restaurant’s menu, business cards, signage, and napkins are as important to the brand and image as its interiors.
Graphic design can set the entire tone of a restaurant. ‘Restaurant Graphics’ by Grant Gibson celebrates the unsung heroes of restaurant graphics, and illustrates the best examples of their craft from around the world. Aimed at professional graphic designers, students, and restaurateurs seeking inspiration, it provides in-depth examples that show how restaurant graphic design is developing and hints at changes to come in the future
‘Restaurant Graphics’ takes a look at over 30 designers and how they have produced stunning and innovative designs to enhance the surroundings of some of the top restaurants.
Restaurants are some of the most competitive businesses in the world and getting the marketing and branding right is essential for their survival. This book provides a catalogue of creative ideas for getting restaurant graphics right. This book offers designers inspiring and innovative graphic options for identity, signage, installations, promotions, menus, and more. ‘Restaurant Graphics’ offers designers the ultimate resource to jump start their creativity for their restaurant industry clients.
The Author writes:
“Recently, there has been an explosion of interest in all things related to food. Cooking shows dominate our television schedules, recipe books (usually connected to the TV shows) hog the best-seller lists, and restaurant criticism has garnered more and more column inches in our newspapers. There are even tomes devoted to restaurant interiors. However, there is virtually nothing that investigates the role and importance of restaurant graphics. On the face of it, this is rather surprising, because (whether we like it or not) some of the most successful restaurant brands have used graphic design effectively to dominate shopping precincts and city centres around the globe.
One of the most interesting themes that has emerged from this book is how important graphics are becoming to upmarket restaurant interiors. Indeed, so vital has it become that, on more than one occasion, its the two dimensional design that has led the interior and not the other way around, suggesting that the boundaries between disciplines are dissolving.
Restaurants are about fusing a set of elements to create an experience. Traditionally, it has always been thought that they were food, service and architecture, but I like to think this book is evidence that graphic design needs to be part of the equation as well.”
‘Restaurant Graphics’ is filled with lovely illustrations, photographs, and narrative which describes each restaurant and explanation of what the graphic design team have achieved in each case.
From memorable logos to unique menu designs, restaurant graphics are something which graphic designers are striving to impress with, and the book contains an alphabetical listing of each designer featured within it’s pages, including addresses, telephone numbers and e-mail contact details.
‘Restaurant Graphics’ offers some great ideas for restaurant designs that are cutting edge and more stimulating than most and the pictures within the book are marvellous, however, it appears somewhat lacking in amount of graphics like menus, logos, etc. It had some but not enough for the size of the book.
Overall, the book is great to have for ideas and inspiration and I feel it would prove an inspiration to any student of graphic design.
This book retails around the £25 mark, but a good second-hand copy can be obtained for around £10 from online sources.
7/10 for this book
The book is published by Laurence King Publishing Ltd.