Working closely with the design agency 5DS that created the client's visual and interior identity, Tiffany developed these menus for the restaurant and bar “Fools & Magicians” under attentive consideration for its surroundings and tableware to bring a cohesive experience for its diners.
Process
Consult design agency ➝ Research: menus + materials from restaurants of the same price range ➝ Develop drafts ➝ Agency approves final draft ➝ Design ➝ Prototype with agency ➝ Adjust ➝ Export for print
Decisions: Style
The upscale Fools & Magicians opened in 2017 and served fine dining and a high-end nightlife in Hong Kong. With a contemporary art deco mixed with rustic visual identity, resonated with a busy interior of marble tabletops and brass decorations, Tiffany derived that the menu layout and typography should be relatively minimal and backed with materials that would help it stand out from the surroundings, and also decorated with art deco patterns and details for quality.
Decisions: Materials
On top of the graphics, she also designed the format and materials that these menus took, which in fact often came before the graphics, with the establishment’s daily operations and the usability of these menus in mind.
BAR AND EVENT MENU
The menu would be different for each event, so Tiffany was met with limitations of sustainability and cost of future reprinting but without sacrificing quality of materials. It was important that this menu, stand-alone, would have a weight. So she designed the menu to have a 400gsm card backing in F&M navy blue that can be reused, on which the menu, printed on more moderate and disposable paper, adhered to. The navy blue backing also helped the menu stand out when placed on the marble tabletops.
RESTAURANT MENU
The food menu changed quite frequently, so onset we decided against a bound menu and opted for loose sheets with brass menu boards, to match the brass tableware. The layout was designed with the position of the board clips in mind.
