411 West Italian Café serves high-quality and tasty food, which keeps the restaurant busy. It’s always packed on weekend nights, and I always find myself satiated (albeit with a food baby) after eating there. Despite the success, 411’s fragmented and seemingly aimless visual branding prevent a consistent image.

 

LOGO

411’s disorder begins with its logo. Below are two variations, the first from the website, and the second from Twitter. Both include similar features: “four eleven west” spelled out in a lowercase script font, “Italian Cafe” spelled out in all caps with loose letter spacing, and “411” written in italic serif numerals.

Inconsistencies, even if subtle, detract from consistent branding. In this case, “411” is in front of “four eleven west” in one logo but behind it in another. One logo uses drop shadows, and the other doesn’t.

The treatment of “Italian Cafe” is notably very different – in the second version, the letter spacing (also called tracking) is much tighter, and the letters appear to be somewhat condensed or squished vertically. The size is also much smaller in comparison to the remaining portion of the logo.

The second logo is more consistent with the exterior building signage, meaning the web design logo is what should change to reflect a cohesive brand. That being said, these two more similar logos aren’t identical. The colors are an obvious difference, but a close glance reveals a discrepancy in the sizing and placement of “four eleven west” over “411.”

 

BUILDING SIGNAGE

Outside 411 is a flag that displays not only the logo but also a high-contrast sepia image of two people riding bicycles with dogs. I have no inkling of what this graphic could possibly mean. Is biking with dogs an Italian tradition? Designs that have meaning behind them are more impactful, so if there is reason behind 411’s sign, it should make that meaning more clear and use similar visuals on its website.

Despite the unclear meaning, the sign is visually interesting and unique. The sepia image seamlessly fades into white, allowing space for the logo.

 

Our lovely azaleas keep us smiling even on cloudy days #Azaleas #411West #ChapelHill

A photo posted by 411 West Italian Cafe (@411_west) on Apr 8, 2016 at 12:00pm PDT

 

WEB DESIGN

411’s mission is to provide a high-quality dining experience at an affordable price, but its outdated web design reflects something less than elegant. The green header, navigation buttons and sidebar overwhelm each page and command too much attention.

The style of the reservation widget and social media links are inconsistent with the rest of the site and also stick out too much.

 

 

At first glance, 411 appears to use two of the world’s most hated fonts: Papyrus and Comic Sans. But what looks like Comic Sans is in reality Chalkboard, Apple’s 2003-released alternative to Comic

Though similar, 411 uses Chalkboard (pictured left), which is the Macintosh alternative to Comic Sans (pictured right for comparison).

The two fonts are very similar, though Chalkboard is less widely criticized. Whether you think Comic Sans and Chalkboard deserve the notoriety, these fonts are fitting for playful, casual settings – everything 411 isn’t.

As for Papyrus, the font’s infamy disqualifies it from being taken seriously.

With its high-quality food and service, 411 should use elegant scripts, sophisticated serifs, or just about anything except Papyrus and Chalkboard. 411’s logo already uses two fitting fonts, one script and one serif, that would work well on the website.

 

SOCIAL MEDIA

Facebook – 1,290 likes
Twitter – 99 followers
Instagram – 296 followers

On social media, 411 posts stunning photos of its food like meatball pizza or fresh strawberries, often with humorous captions like the one below.

 

Somehow we’ll get our staff to stop eating these deliciously fresh strawberries so that you can enjoy our special Lyon’s Strawberry Salad. Mixed greens, goat cheese, almonds, green tomato vinaigrette, and balsamic reduction. #Specials #Salads #Strawberries #411West #ChapelHill #FranklinSt #CHRG

A photo posted by 411 West Italian Cafe (@411_west) on Apr 15, 2016 at 2:52pm PDT

 

411 posts about once a week on Facebook and Instagram but hasn’t tweeted since last July. With larger followings on Facebook and Instagram, it may have been a smart move to focus on two social media platforms, especially considering the visually oriented nature of Facebook and Instagram. 411’s content is engaging and of high quality; it should consider posting more often to boost its social media presence.

 

THE BOTTOM LINE

411’s disconnected, unexplained and sometimes downright tacky graphics left me confused and without a clear picture of what the restaurant’s visual identity is. Its food is delicious, and sharp photos on social media reflect that. 411 should bring its visual branding up to standard.

 

I love Buns because of the flexibility. Some days, I’m in the mood for one a pre-invented burger. Other days, I want to invent my own burger, and Buns makes it easy to do that. Through in-store visuals and an annual event, Buns reflects this mission through its branding strategy.

 

LOGO / BUILDING SIGNAGE

Buns’ logo is full of buns. Two buns surround “Buns” to form a burger. The style is retro, and “Buns” is written in a vintage script font reminiscent of a ’50s style diner. The brown, beige, orange and green color scheme is unique and pleasant.

Outside the restaurant you’ll find Buns’ logo pasted to the door and hanging perpendicular to the sidewalk. “Buns” protrudes from the hanging sign, adding interest and commanding the attention of pedestrians.

 

 

MENU DESIGN

Inside the restaurant is a wall-sized menu that promotes Buns’ mission of providing flexibility in the burger creation process. Organized as a step-by-step process, the menu is easy to understand, and circular flat icons of each topping make for a unique and memorable experience.

 

ANNUAL BURGER CONTEST

Every year Buns hosts a Build a Burger Contest, the epitome of its goal of letting customers take charge of their burgers. The contest promotes interaction between Buns and its customers, and because the winner is chosen by a Facebook vote, it generates buzz on social media. Crisp photos of each glorious invention can be viewed on the contest webpage.

 

WEB DESIGN

Buns’ website leverages its logo’s warm color scheme, which coincides with the colors of most of its photos. The website’s layout and categorization of pages make for a smooth user experience.

 

The website is responsive to various browser widths, but the logo’s low resolution becomes more obvious on a mobile platform. Most (if not all) smartphones use HD screens that are capable of displaying more pixels on a screen, but if an image isn’t large enough, the screen will stretch the pixels it has to work with, creating a blurry photo.

 

 

At smaller browser widths, the navigation menu is forced onto a second line, which looks disjointed and awkward.

 

Despite these minor issues, Buns’ website looks professional and promotes the brand through consistent visuals and good content.

 

SOCIAL MEDIA

Facebook – 2,139 likes
Twitter – 133 followers
Instagram – 92 followers

On social media, Buns focuses on promoting specials, sharing media coverage and publicizing events like its burger contest.

 

The 2015 #BunsBuildABurger Contest Finalists await your vote. Visit our FB page to chime in. http://t.co/5PkER7hYtB pic.twitter.com/HVmcDFqNpW

— BUNS Burgers & Fries (@BunsBurgersCH) April 6, 2015

Buns hasn’t posted to its Instagram in more than a year, and it only posts to Facebook and Twitter a few times a month. Maybe I’m a sucker for a good burger foodie, but with sharp images of unique burger creations, Buns has the material to post much more often to its social media accounts.

 

THE BOTTOM LINE

Buns’ brand centers around letting customers control their burger experience, and its logo, creative menu design and annual contest accurately reflect that mission. With a few website tweaks and a more active social media presence, Buns could take over Chapel Hill and turn everyone into a burger-loving fiend like yours truly,

It’s a place where community members can prepare food to sell, grow their businesses, teach classes, host events, learn cooking skills and gather to eat good meals. Midway Community Kitchen is among other things a tool for local food businesses looking to grow – let’s look at how it fares in branding itself.

 

LOGO

With its bright colors and playful sans serif font, Midway’s logo is eye-catching. The logo is a unique spin-off of an emblem, a typo of logo in which text is placed inside a symbol. Midway is indeed placed inside a circle – a good choice since round shapes imply inclusion, community, commitment and love.

Midways logo extends beyond your basic emblem, though. The circle doubles as a plate, and a fork and knife complete the image. This creative symbolism boosts the logo’s meaning and makes it more memorable.

 

 

BUILDING SIGNAGE

A hand-painted replica of the logo, Midway’s building signage promotes recognition through consistency. Though subtle, the colors on the sign differ slightly from online versions of the logo. For an even more seamless brand, Midway might consider adjusting the colors, either outside or online.

 

 

WEB DESIGN

Midway’s web design is smooth and straightforward. It features high-quality photos and promotes its events – an important part of its brand – on the homepage.

 

 

What’s missing from Midway’s navigation menu is a link to its “About Midway” page, which I found by Googling “Midway Community Kitchen.” The page explains the mission of Midway, but without providing a link in the navigation, most people won’t see this vital information.

 

 

A quick Google search reveals other pages missing from the navigation menu, such as a page of recipes.

One last note on web design – the design for Midways tab icon (located on the left-hand side of your browser tab) is a bit too complex for maximum legibility. When sized down, the icon is hard to see; details like the utensils and “M” disappear.

 

 

SOCIAL MEDIA

Facebook – 643 likes
Twitter – 19 followers
Instagram – 92 followers

On social media, Midway focuses on publicizing its events, but it also posts useful information like improving knife skills and shares third-party articles like food business marketing tips.

On Instagram, Midway does a great job of alternating between captivating foodies and authentic photos from cooking classes. Below is a snapshot of Midway’s Instagram posts.

 

 

Instagram is the least active of Midway’s three social media accounts, so my only recommendation is that it post a daily photo to Instagram from inside its walls.

 

THE BOTTOM LINE

Midway’s mission is unique and backed by authentic and loving community members. Its visual branding is consistent, and it posts a variety of content to social media. To continue down the road to a powerful branding strategy, Midway should update its website to include hidden pages in the navigation menu.

There are few foods I enjoy more than gnocchi from Vespa, but the store’s branding isn’t quite as satiating.

 

LOGO

I’m uncertain of Vespa’s official logo, and that’s a problem. The logo on its website doesn’t coincide with its current building sign, and its profile picture on social media is a generic glass of wine. Vespa should draw a better connection between branding platforms by using consistent visuals outside and online.

Below is the logo on Vespa’s website. If the “V” looks familiar, you might be thinking of the typeface used by Vogue. This particular type of serif font falls under the modern classification. Modern serif typefaces are characterized by a high contrast of strokes, resulting in one thick and one thin prong of the “V.” This look is very sleek and sophisticated, a good fit for a classy Italian restaurant. The scooter drawing, though a bit of an obvious choice, draws your eye from left to right, creating flow.

 

 

BUILDING SIGNAGE

Vespa’s exterior signage has undergone a few changes in the past several years. It used to be a variation of the logo on its current website, as shown below.

 

Recently, Vespa simplified its building sign and brought in a new color. The updated font is neither a clear sans serif nor serif font. There are subtle rounded serifs on all letters except the “S.” Whatever you may call it, the new style is warm and friendly. The white letters stand out against the red background and always catch my eye as I pass by.

 

 

WEB DESIGN

Vespa’s website has not gotten an upgrade, creating a rift between the restaurant’s branding on and offline. The header’s drastic blue gradient is outdated and jarring, and it doesn’t flow into the light gray background seen on the lower part of each page.

 

 

What’s worse is a pop-up that announces a fixed menu for graduation weekend. Since it’s designed like an advertisement, I automatically reacted to it as if it were an advertisement by exiting out of it immediately (sorry, advertising friends). Vespa should rethink it strategy for promoting graduation weekend – perhaps it could include this information in a blog post and publicize it on social media.

 

 

SOCIAL MEDIA

Facebook – 1,612 likes
Twitter – 49 followers

Vespa’s social media strategy is underwhelming. On Facebook and Twitter (its only active social media accounts), it posts frequent but low-quality content. Take, for example, this series of tweets.

 

 

Vespa’s social media strategy serves as a good reminder that quality is more important that quantity. Posting several times in a row with surface-level advertisements will not attract customers on social media. Vespa should consider sharing useful content and engaging visuals that resonate with its customers.

Searching for Vespa’s Twitter, I came across a second inactive account under Vespa’s name. Though it has only tweeted seven times from that account, it has attracted 70 followers (1.4 times the amount of its active account). To avoid confusion, Vespa should delete its inactive account and alert those followers of the active account by following them from said active account.

 

THE BOTTOM LINE

Vespa’s new building signage is inviting and interesting yet simple. It should update its website and social media to reflect that upgrade, and it should rework its social media strategy to offer valuable information that engages followers.