This was the first project I completed which was outside of college. Mantra is a garden bar and nightclub in Maynooth, Co. Kildare. The cocktail bar had just been taken over by new barmen who were free to change the menus and theme. They wanted to scale back and revert to 'the classics' they wanted to get rid of the 'frill' and hype surrounded by cocktails and so they went with a twenties theme. I mostly had free reign with this project, the only thing they were adament about was that it had to be classy. 

Although I couldn't touch the Mantra logo, I was able to embellish it and so drew this swirling leaf design for the logo to sit in. The background was achieved by drawing the pattern, which I then tiled all over. Behind this pattern I put a dark red background, overlaying the pattern was a gradient which faded in the centre so as to draw attention to the logo which would be centered. I feel that the centered gradient gives off soft vibes similar to that of candle light. On the bottom right hand corner is a cocktail glass, on close inspection you will realise that it is drawn so it appears as liquid. I feel that this is a classier way to let the reader know it is a cocktail menu than just writing 'Cocktail Menu'. It also allows for the owners to expand, they could have a normal drinks menu with a similar style motif and do the same if they chose to branch into food. 

I chose keep the drinks selection very simple and clean cut as in my opinion real class should seem effortless. Everything is centered and the same typeface used throughout. The price of all cocktails are the same so I chose to leave it out on the inside and instead put it on the back cover. This was to avoid repetition, save space and also because the prices per cocktail are seen as high so it would be best to avoid advertising them too much. By the time punters see the price on the back cover they have already made their choice and so are less likely to walk away.