BRAND: PUNCH BOWL SOCIAL
The challenge: Punch Bowl Social embodies the term eatertainment, orchestrating an outing that revolves around pure fun - craft cocktails, a chef-driven menu and old-school games among a backdrop of intentionally wacky design. With a nationwide expansion plan driving rapid growth, the brand was poised to disrupt the experiential restaurant scene. We were tasked with developing an eclectic signature language that kept the brand memorable, but didn’t feel like a chain.
Credits:
My role: Art Direction and Visual Design // Created at: OZ Architecture // Creative Director: Abigail Plonkey // Photography: courtesy of Punch Bowl Social
DESIGN METHODS
Card sort with the management team to pinpoint the essence of the brand
Neighborhood ethnography to blend the expressive, rebellious and nostalgic elements that make up Punch Bowl’s aesthetic with touches of local flare to ground it with in each new city
Identify partnerships with artists to celebrate local talent.
Visual identity system development to unify the brand language across all channels.
KEY DELIVERABLES
Environmental graphics and physical touch points that encouraged exploration and stimulated the senses - a more is more mindset.
Advertising campaign that personified the logo with a sophisticated deer-man character to act as the brand’s mysterious mascot.
Investor pitch deck to obtain investors for the nationwide expansion plan.
Brand essence video to extend the brand’s footprint into a digital sphere.
Event print posters that took a concert poster approach, increasing the hype and instilling high-energy fun that is unique to each event and feeds the anti-chain restaurant mentality.
THE OUTCOME
Punch Bowl Social was awarded “Best Breakout Brand 2015” by Nation’s Restaurant News and was selected by the editorial team at Fast Company as one of the “50 World’s Most Innovative Companies” of 2019. Plus, a robust expansion plan continues to add 4-8 new locations across the country every year.
WHAT I LEARNED
When designing experiences that depend on physical spaces for interactions, the details that are oftentimes overlooked, yet provide a sense of wonder when discovered, are vitally important to developing an intended atmosphere. These will extend the brand’s language into memorable moments.