Grandfather’s Garden

For this student project, I was tasked with designing any kind of restaurant. I wanted to create a concept that felt familiar but elevated. Inspired by the many overdone farm-to-table restaurants across the Midwest, I developed Grandfather’s Garden, a rustic European alternative focused on predesigned meals with minimal American influence. The restaurant would offer a family dining space and a small private bar, aiming for a refined yet approachable atmosphere. One early challenge was creating a logo that incorporated a hand-drawn barn. After several unsuccessful attempts, I pivoted to a simple carrot as the logomark and reinforced it across the brand visuals. This shift ultimately opened more creative opportunities and allowed for a stronger visual system, including vegetable patterns and collateral materials. When designing the style guide, I carried over patterns and colors from the collateral and included stylized food photography to create a cohesive feel.