REBEL CHEF
REBEL CHEF
Keith Russell, a brilliant chef with a flair for fusion dishes was opening his flagship restaurant, his first solo venture, in suburban Minnesota. The building was leased, the equipment ordered and a remodel was underway. Now it was time to outshine the competition.
The Problem
Keith needed a brand that both spoke to foodies and your typical suburban restaurant diner. Most suburbs of the Twin Cities in Minnesota are full of what you’d expect, chains and franchise restaurants. We needed an effective way to stand out from the formulaic suburban fare.
My Solution
Instead of branding just Keith’s restaurant, I proposed a different solution after watching Keith work. I had seen the care and devotion he put into every detail. Applebee’s can be Applebee’s as long as the logo is on the building. Rebel Chef can only be Rebel Chef with Keith in the kitchen. He defies convention (the rebel) of any kitchen where he takes the lead in (the chef). Instead of branding the food, I suggested branding the chef. Let the revolution begin!
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Creating The Identity
By focusing the brand on Keith’s talent and individualism, I was able to craft an identity that is bold, energetic and sophisticated without being elitist. The brand color communicates energy and enthusiasm, but is subdued enough to show sophistication.
The Message
The logo cements the message of defying convention even further, by literally breaking its way out of the container it sits in. The varied font weights in the wordmark drive this concept home a whole new way.
Making a Digital Impact
I felt the most effective use of the design budget would be to use publicly available demographic information to form an initial hypothesis and then revisit this after the launch to determine whether I was correct in my assessment.
I felt the most effective use of the design budget would be to use publicly available demographic information to form an initial hypothesis and then revisit this after the launch to determine whether I was correct in my assessment.
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