MASA Y MEZCAL
A new taqueria just landed in Buffalo and was fortunate to work on this awesome restaurant. Focussing on authentic Mexican recipes and ingredients, the owner wanted to stay far removed from the Tex-Mex American eateries many of us are familiar with. Desiring a unique spin that was both cultural and modern we started discussing what was to be created. I was craving a branding project like this to sink my teeth into.
The Colors
One of the huge challenges was the palette. The restaurant is composed of stacked shipping crates painted in blue (2nd circle) with a powdered coat (Due to budget restrictions repainting the building was out of the question. With both the interior and exterior using this color it became apparent that the brand should align its palette to better support it than fight it. I chose a monochromatic scheme with a very rare use of orange as a strong counterbalance for selective elements.
The Mark
Mentioned earlier, the client wanted a mark that was modern, but harkened to something cultural from his home country. After some research and discussion I landed on a mark derived from paper picado, or paper cut. It was a lot of fun creating a symmetrical mark with so many curvilinear forms.
