Istanbul'lu. Restaurant Rebranding
Istanbul’lu is a local Turkish restaurant near Davis Square, in Somerville. It serves homey, authentic food from a region near the Black Sea, in Turkey. The restaurant caters to Somerville locals, families with children, and members of the Turkish community.
Design Objectives
The rebranding aims to introduce Turkish cuisine and culture to a more modern, younger crowd but also to reaffirm his position among the loyal Turkish consumers for whom the restaurant is a place that soothes their nostalgia about Turkey.
Design Solution
The concept behind the rebranding focuses on the core value of the restaurant - serving traditional, homemade authentic cooking. One traditional representation in Turkish culture is expressed through the Turkish rugs (kilim) decorated with different kinds of symbols for motherhood, luck, fate, etc. Thus the creative idea is revolving around a symbol inspired by a traditional motif in Turkish folk art which is a metaphor for motherhood - ebelinde, a stylized female figure.
The typography and mono-color palette which reflects one of the main ingredients from the Turkish cuisine - tomatoes - point to the modern twist needed to attract a younger crowd to the restaurant.
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* All photography compiled from various online sources.
