Your Meals Start with the Menu – Menu Design (2)


Following last year’s menu design picks, today we have once again put together a collection of menu design which we find creative in the area of design, printing and theme. We hope that these picks will help you get creatively inspired in your designs for your dining service.

Menus are one of the print publications that is the most practical and can withstand the test of time. Although electronic menus are making its way into many restaurants these days, print menus are irreplaceable because the tactile experience of print is timeless. Menus serve as the spokesperson for the restaurant with the role to build a connection with the diners. Menus adorned with distinctive, exquisite design leaves a good impression and reflect how much the restaurant values its customers and the brand itself. Now, let’s take a look at some menus with impressive designs.

 

Chinese Calendar Style

Taiwanese food has long been the locals and tourists’ favourite. In Taiwan, we can find many food stalls selling local delicacies. The warm and friendly service provided in these food stalls always leaves people with a smile. At Tianmu, Taipei, there nestles a small food stall with no signboards. It does not have a glamourous decoration, but it houses the memories of a lot of people. People come here every day to get a taste of home.

The design of the menu of this food stall took inspiration from traditional China calendar, following the lunisolar design format to bring this food menu to life. It used the Chinese red as the key colour tone, paired with Chinese font and paper that looks like from the early days, to bring the customers back to the past. Although no pictures are used in the menu, the text layout itself already transforms the whole design.

枚芳小吃 – Menu by I-Mor Liao on Behance/ https://bit.ly/2pwxKMj

Blue is used in the takeaway menu. It elicits a different emotion, doesn’t it?

枚芳小吃 – Menu by I-Mor Liao on Behance/ https://bit.ly/2pwxKMj

 

Like a Fashion Magazine

People eat with their eyes. The design of menu plays a key role in earning a spot in people’s hearts. An upscale vegan restaurant in Ho Chi Minh City incorporates ‘minimalism and texture’ elements into their menu and turns their menu into one that looks like a high-end fashion magazine with large-scale photos spread across the pages without any gutter. There are 3 sets of menu: breakfast, lunch & dinner and beverages. Each of them is in soothing pastel colours that are soothing to the eyes. The stylish food presentation in the photos paired with a pair-back layout leaves a great impression on its diners.

Dau Do vegan restaurant newspaper menu by Deto Concept and Duc Bui on Behance /
https://bit.ly/2q9nGZq
Dau Do vegan restaurant newspaper menu by Deto Concept and Duc Bui/
https://bit.ly/2q9nGZq

 

Doodle Comics Style

Drinking is a popular way to relax after a stressful day. A hidden bar in Moscow brings together ‘comics’ and ‘menu’ to create a ‘comics zine menu’ that gives people a laugh and also a drink after work. The names of the 8 cocktails were written on the cover. The handwriting looks rough but real enough to bring people closer. To build emotional connections with customers and give them a delightful experience, a comic story is created for each cocktail. Each comic illustrates what happens when you drink a cocktail of your choice is created.

Cocktail menu for Korobok bar by Tanya Vino on Behance /
https://bit.ly/34lMsEr
Cocktail menu for Korobok bar by Tanya Vino on Behance /
https://bit.ly/34lMsEr

 

A Field Guide of Drinks

Field guides are designed to let readers identify different types of plants, with helpful illustrations, detailed written description and other identifying information. A tea house nestled in Kunming drew inspiration from the illustrative design of field guides and turned their tea menu into a guide to the myriad of teas they offer by category. The exquisite illustrations on the tea menu goes perfectly well with the interior design of the tea house. Each type of tea is adorned with an illustration that relates to its origin or its plants; sufficient space is left between each choice of tea to create a pleasant presentation; maps and European-style drawings are also inserted to make this menu both aesthetically beautiful and functional.

起初。珍宝茶屋 by SI6TEEN ZHUANG on Behance/
https://bit.ly/335PpJ9
起初。珍宝茶屋 by SI6TEEN ZHUANG on Behance/
https://bit.ly/335PpJ9

 

Ceremony Style

Menus are a must for catered banquets events. These menus usually come with beautiful design to complement the delicious dishes. The 54th Golden Horse Awards Nominee Party’s menu resembles the design of a prize winner envelope. The guests have to lift open the envelope exactly like how they will reveal the prize winner to get a glimpse of the dishes. As there were 12 dishes for the night, there are 12 pages in total to represent each dish. The gold foil prints, gold goldbinding thread and the embossing details reflect the grandness of the banquet.

54th 金馬獎入圍酒會菜單by joe fang on Behance/ https://bit.ly/2CfMulj

54th 金馬獎入圍酒會菜單by joe fang on Behance/ https://bit.ly/2CfMulj

——————
CC+ is equipped with years of design and printing experience. Let us be your hand if you are about to start a business in the dining industry or planning to give your design a full refresh.

Email: info@ccplusmedia.com
Tel: (+852) 3460 5052

Post author