Responses by Sophie Brown, project director, Freytag Anderson
Background: We were approached to help Edinburgh- and St. Andrews, United Kingdom–based restaurant brand BURGER reposition itself amongst a horde of competitors for an audience of casual diners. Leading unapologetically with the word BURGER created a sense of ownership in a jam-packed marketplace.
Reasoning: The name called for straightforwardness, and brand development began with some stripped-back typography. With origins in woodblock printing, the Block Gothic font had the robustly crafted qualities we needed. Inspired by the simplicity of the name, we assembled a wordmark; with sandwiching bars, it condenses to a chunky ‘bun’. Expanded horizontally or vertically in a monochrome palette, the name is confident enough to do all the talking.
Challenges: Convincing the client that this straightforward approach was the best way to stand out. It’s often tempting to over-complicate things! We wanted our client to own the word BURGER and by infusing it with confidence and character, we feel we have helped it do that.
Favorite details: The punch and personality that’s now associated with the brand. Prior to its re-positioning, the brand lacked depth, and wasn’t representative of the people and the passion behind the food. We partnered with a copywriter to create the line “We mince beef, not words,” which encapsulates the BURGER ethos perfectly. The identity now allows that sense of character to come through in almost every application of the brand.
Visual influences: Everything came from the literal idea of a burger—the encapsulated B icon and three-line copy format both echo the idea of a loaded bun. This concept system allowed us to use wording as a brand asset across a variety of applications, with the visual structuring creating an immediate link back to the brand.
Specific demands: The tight deadline for project completion. A new restaurant was in the process of being designed and fitted out when we started the project, so we had to quickly come up with flexible ways of applying the brand identity to the physical spaces. With tools such as window vinyls, brand stamps, adaptable menu templates and promo templates, we were able to deliver an early kit of parts with the capacity to help the business grow.
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