The Business:
SoCal Crawfish Connection is a new seafood restaurant located in Irvine California. The business, owned by the Tran family, was originally a coffee shop that has since morphed into a whole new venture in need of a fresh web presence.
The Site Design:
I was pretty much allowed free artistic rein with this site, while adhering to the clients’ need for a site that was simple, low-cost and easy to navigate.
There was a bit of back and forth on the font choices and placement for the restaurant title within the logo. One of the initial mock-ups had a stamped look that circled the Crawfish, but the clients had come across another seafood restaurant with a similar layout and wanted something a bit different. We finally decided on a font from the Helvetica family and a layout that kept the company’s title off to the side of the main logo design.
Additionally, the use of orange and blue tones really helped to balance the site while catching the eye of viewers.
The Logo Design:
The Crawfish logo was sketched out a number of times and the final design is true to my last sketch. The logo incorporates a subtle cartoon element that I feel gives it a unique, original look without making it appear childish.
I researched a large number of pictures of actual crawfish, and while the logo is not strictly anatomically correct, I tried to remain true to the more memorable charactersistics of the species.
Additional Work:
Outside of the logo and site, I also designed the company’s menu and their first double-sided advertisement/coupon card. The idea behind both was attractive simplicity with striking colors and a more elegant typography.
You can visit the website at www.socalcrawfishconnection.com. The menu can be viewd in PDF format here, and the coupon card here.
