Print Menu

The mission statement for this project was to effectively design a print menu for a trendy café using Adobe InDesign. I was prompted to include sections for appetizers, main courses, desserts, and beverages. I made sure to incorporate high-quality images, clear and readable font choices, and a cohesive color scheme that reflects the café's atmosphere. Most importantly, my goal was to work on organizing the menu in a visually appealing layout that enhances the overall dining experience for customers.

Brainstorming and wireframing: I decided that I wanted to create my screen menu around the concept of a Canadian cafe and bistro that one would picture eating at, let's say, a cozy and discrete walk-in restaurant in the heart of Soho, NY. That being said, I pictured the theme of this menu being a very minimalistic and contemporary design with an emphasis on color themes of a cozy warm fall afternoon. Although this restaurant would be open all year round, I had a lingering thought of walking into this restaurant on a breezy fall afternoon, with an aesthetic of a cozy, clean, warm sit-in cafe feel.

Wireframing and layout: With my brainstorming formulated, I decided that I wanted the layout to be most appealing visually in a way that guided the customer's eyes throughout the entire extent of the menu. Because we naturally read left to right, I thought it was important to list the menu choices in a way that would allow customers to grace through the page not only skimming up and down but naturally left to right, as well. The structured layout is presented in a text-to-image ratio that keeps the customer stimulated. The brand identity of this restaurant was heavily focused on a clean aesthetic. Here is a visual representation of my design process:

Wireframe:

Draft 1:

Draft 2:

Final Iteration:

As you can see, this design presents a very structured layout. The color schemes and typefaces tie into the idea of a cozy and relaxed Canadian-based bistro. I wanted to play around with color palettes and work heavily on getting familiar with the software. Although I feel I have come a long way since the designs that are shown here, I still think that the structures and concepts really tie into a most fulfilling brand identity.