When deciding what company to rebrand I thought it would be fun to redesign a restaurant. There is so much variety of content to explore when branding a restaurant which is what intrigued me. My hometown being New York City, I researched some new restaurants in the city, and decided to focus on speakeasies. The mystery of a speakeasy brings a lot to the table allowing my creativity to shine through.
I happened upon La Noxe, a recently opened speakeasy that captured the internet’s attention. Its main draw is that it’s located inside the 28th street subway station. It is a Mediterranean inspired cocktail lounge, while providing an authentic New York City experience. La Noxe is known for their intimate space, elegant cocktails, and delicious tapas. This self-proclaimed cocktail lounge and bar has been described as walking into someone’s impeccably designed apartment from the 1970s.
Brand Letterhead
Branding
Web Design
Print Design
Copy Writing
Social Media
Elements
Instructor
Rodd Whitney
Year
2021
The goal of this project was to propose and rebrand a company deemed appropriate for a rebrand. I chose La Noxe, a NYC-based speakeasy that had recently opened. I researched their background and client base to develop a rebrand that would provide their company with an accomplished brand identity.
La Noxe: Rebrand
RESEARCH PROCESS
Interior Design
I was specifically inspired by their interior design. For such a small space their interior design screams at you and is unable to ignore in the best way possible. This led to my visual research of 1970s interior and graphic design, as well as modern typography. Conveniently the 70s are making a revival in 2021 which made the visual research easy to aquire. This culmination of 70s design with a modern take jump started my design process on the La Noxe brand identity.
Logo & Identity
My initial designs were experimental, wanting to highlight a nostalgic but elegant feel. I wanted the logo to speak for their high-end elegance and retro ambiance. I felt that the typeface to be the main component of the logo, making a bold statement. I wanted to truly capture the evocative luxury of La Noxe. I altered the typeface Doppelgänger Display, giving it a heavier weight, custom letterforms, and rounded corners. The typeface is originally rooted in an art deco style.
Adding these edits allowed for a softer look that was reminiscent of the 197Os with a delicate touch. Once l established my logo, I thought adding an illustrated sub mark could include additional
context to the brand. I designed cocktail glass icon in a similar style to the logo. I decided to add a star and moon to the cocktail icon in honor of the meaning of La Noxe which is "the night". The moon also cleverly acts as a garnish usually found on high-end cocktails and other alcoholic drinks.
Social Media
As I began to expand the brand, designing for social media brought up the need for image treatment, type styles, and iconography. I decided to keep the typography simple with only a flare for the header, and I stylized the brand's illustrations and icons off of the line drawing of the cocktail in the logo.
The image treatment was really important for me to nail perfectly, and bring the brand together. I wanted to give them the quality of old film with a hazy effect to keep the vintage feel.
DELIVERABLES
Web Design
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Menus & Print Collateral
BRAND BOOK
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My research diverged into visual and biographical. I did a great deal of research on previous articles written about La Noxe, making sure I fully understood their goals and passions as an establishment. I wanted to fully capture the essence of La Noxe and what it stands for.
An additional goal for this project was to develop a complete brand book with guidelines and background on how the company should apply the rebrand. I created eight spreads to explain exactly how every element should be used and why it works.