iPhone App Magnets

iPhone App Keychains

iPhone App Game

More Magnets – though looking at them I think – ‘someone should’ve made erasers too!!’

iPhone App Badges

iPhone App Pillows – These are COOL!

iPhone App Paper Clips – Small thought, Great BIG IDEA!

iPhone App CUPCAKES!!.. I wish I had that kinda time!!.. but, awesome!

The interiors were to die for – curvy, futuristic with splashes of bold green with furniture that looked like it was right out of a design magazine! They had iPad stations for the the kids to play and digital terminals for the parents. These digital terminals are meant to take your order and have your food delivered to you without having to wait in line – How cool is that!

From cieling to the bathroom the whole place had these cute chalky illustrations that made the place so friendly and approachable. It toned down the design aspect just enough to make it a great family restaurant.. An ideal place to have a kids party !

I came home and researched a little to see what was going on.. And learnt that that Mc. D is going on a 21st century overhaul. They signed up with a Paris-based designer Patrick Norguet to redesign all their outlets in France. He structured the DNA of the restaurant which was then to be followed by various outlets across Europe.

Norguet used the signature red and yellow in a beautiful way by adding bold accents (below). Very French of him to use everything a lot more subtly than Reinhold Keller who did Milton Keynes outlet in the UK. While Norguet kept it very sophisticated and FAMILY friendly.. Reinhold Keller broke all the rules and took a whole different path from what Mc D has ever done before.. There were no signs of the reds and yellows and I think that is what was refreshing.

The flagship outlet in the heart of London – Oxford Circus took the Mc.Donald’s corporate colors to a whole new level. They fired up the red and brightened up the yellows. Glass walls, LED lighting and welcome signs that buzz constantly are not the only features they have. The three floor restaurant has something for everyone.

One floor is dedicated to the teenagers with inset plasma screens, lounge seating and playstation2 gaming units. Another is a diner layouts for longer stay – comfortable seating and relaxed atmosphere with wifi and digital stations. And finally a floor for the family with quicker service and accesible with prams, wheels chairs. This floor is a little cut off from all others leaving it a little more calm and easy to walk around .

It’s quite an experience to be able to see all this design out of the books and in action. It almost feels like a revolution in design with everything turning to a smoother edge and a shinier look. And with Mc Donalds on a mission to redo all it’s outlets by 2015 – I can only imagine what change it’ll bring to the food industry and the design industry alike ! I am very excited to walk into another Mc. D in Europe to see what they have to offer. Have you been to Mc. Donald’s lately?

I find it fascinating to walk into a new restaurant to see what they have to offer to my 2 year old. Every restaurant has amazing ideas to keep the child busy and enjoy the experience as much as we should. Here’s a list of some or the things I spotted and enjoyed with my daughter:

Balloons:
A cheap and probably the most effective way to market your restaurant. This sort of a promotion creates a recall value and keeps throwing the name / logo of your restaurant in people’s face forcing them to finally walk in.

Kids Menu:
I don’t know a single restaurant in India that does kids menu.. Other than Mc D.. and so it’s super popular! Any restaurant can and should have a kids menu. Not only does it drives families in but you can promote it with practically any excuse.

Toys:
Little merchandised toys with your brand identity on it is another great way to add recall value. It doesn’t have to be expensive or fancy but something that the kids would love to collect or want more of. I found these stirrers to be a very effective tool. It’s for a restaurant called Giraffe which we love and each one their drinks have these stirrers.. We’ve been collecting for a while now!

Happy Meals
A powerful tool started by Mc D is a no brainer when it comes to promoting. Cute take away packaging, meals in small portions and your logo being carried around! Children are a genre of customers that might be too underestimated in India and can increase business by at least 20% if not more! The right marketing and promotional tools can really help increase a restaurant’s fall ins.

Kids EAT FREE!
Many many restaurant attract crazy amount of families with this poster on their windows.. Of course it has a few conditions but everyone seems to overlook those when something like this comes up every now and then!

The ideas are numerous but hope that these opened some thoughts to help you promote your restaurant business.. For more ideas - get in touch!

Ruby’s is now rolling and has launched over a dozen restaurants in prime locations of South Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru. With choices in Indian, Continental and Tex Mex, no one has any excuses. Go check out Ruby’s 

P.S. Sorry about the messy pics.. I was in a crowd of people and clicking pics was not the best idea!

Amour was another project I did earlier this year. Though the logo was out and about much earlier, the restaurant only launched recently. It’s international cuisine and  great location has already made it one of Delhi’s favourite hot spot. Forest views, outdoor seating and wood fire oven pizzas.. There’s nothing more divine than that in Delhi winters. Go check out Amour 

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I come back home and sit on my computer to search for this weird pair – I didn’t even know what to type! I tried my luck and searched for Nike toe shoes.. and fair enough I found em!

Now aren’t these weird.. ? But they’ve got something about them that makes you want to own a pair.. They sell for $70 – 100 – which might make you think otherwise – specially for feeling barefoot!! The Vibram barefoot five finger shoes are meant for softer sport activities like Pilates,  yoga, canoeing and running.. though I can’t imagine running in these to be comfortable  but then again I haven’t tried them..

What I like is the design and the use of colour. The vibrams come in various colours for men and women and have variants for different levels of sports – though I like the design of the classics the most.

While I educated myself with the barefooters I found some really interesting pairs that proved to be great design pieces along with being great shoes…

The nike heels for example…VERY sexy. Beautiful design, amazing colour choices and will make any outfit look trendy.. A great fashion statement. I’m sure to buy one of these..

Or the Gladiators..I mean who would’ve thought that the Gladiators could be comfortable!? Shoot me for saying that I want a pair of these too! The colours and the design make it so hard to decide which colour is the  best for you – I’d want to have one of each color for each day of the week – love them!

Have you seen a weird shoe lately!?

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 FREE DOWNLOAD HERE

Graphic Design has become a huge part of the F’n'B industry today. From branding to promotions and marketing. Plain text and pictures don’t do it anymore. Smart use of fonts and graphics can set you apart, even if your food doesn’t

A killer way to use the name and the product on offer to make a funny logo.

Simple name – Simple solution. Great logo!

This logo is really lovely.. though it’s very Greek to me.. the blues and the dome like appearance makes me think it’s a Medditerranean Lounge. I like it anyway!

Though it’s hard to say what they are selling – The logo is a nice take on the otherwise cursed potion.

Love the depth on this logo. Fiery, bold, colorful.

No brainer to make the doughnut look like the G from Glaze.. Something that’s so obvious that you wouldn’t even think of it.

LOVE LOVE LOVE!

Great use of negative space and colours matched with the right font. Simple yet effective. Will work great in black and white too.

I absolutely love this one. I have done logos for cafés too.. Coffee Quotient being one of them – where the logo was similar. Using the top of the cup. But here to use the froth in the coffee to make the moon is sheer genius!

Hope you enjoyed these logos as much as i did..