I think that locale and food are probably the only thing that would matter more with a restaurant than other businesses. Were I working on a restaurant I would check out every restaurant nearby and make sure that the type won’t by confused with competitors. It’s probably also good to make sure that the menu type does not clash with the food; I often eat at a place that serves a mix of flavorful American and French dishes and has a menu set in Helvetica, which just does not connect at all.
Are you speaking of designing a logo for a restaurant? An advertisement? A menu?
James has given you good advice, I’d just like to add if you are designing/working on the menu - find out what the age group will be frequenting the restaurant. Keep a style in mind for what their eyes can read... Also, how is the lighting at the restaurant? Older folks need larger type... etc. etc. etc.
I was going to make a button out of this and put it in the cheeky type sayings thread, but oh well. “Slab-serifs make me hungry.”
That being said I dunno if it’s the right thing for a restaurant at all. Also blue is the most unappetizing color.
Whatever type you use (for logo or menu) do not use any bundled font. There are font snobs out there who will boycott your restaurant if you use Papyrus or similar. The font needs to be obscure and a bit quirky, and take more than 30 seconds to be identified on the type ID board.
Do anything you want, but when it’s time to design the menus, remember a few things: restaurants often have very low and uneven lighting, and people of every age go out to eat. Use a clear, conventional typeface, at generous size (10-13 point), and take advantage of bold and italic for emphasis. Print it in dark ink on light paper (no brown kraft paper). Customers will appreciate it, and waiters will be happy they don’t have to read the whole menu to people.
Ditto Carl, but would it not be possible to use a clear, UNconventional typeface? If that’s an oxymoron, there’s some redundancy in your phrase :-)
***
Speaking as a Typophile, the best menu I’ve ever come across was in 2005, Caffe Uno, an Italian restaurant in Norwich, England.
We’re outside on the patio, under a tree in an old cobblestone market area (“Tombland”—not etymologically derived from graves, apparently) on a lovely summer evening, and the menu is tall and big, printed in letterpress Futura, on a laid card stock. Mmmmmm!
Yes, “clear, conventional” could be redundant, but I want to emphasize the idea that everyone should be able to read it. You could indeed use Grotext, Sauna, Beaufort, Aichel, Mentor, Tyfa, Caliban, James Paul or any other legible face.
Letterpress menus indeed sound sumptuous. Maybe the owner has a press in the basement. If I ever have a restaurant I’ll do that.
Yea you’re completely right Simon.
Everything in my kitchen with papyrus on it (a gross amount: moonstone crossing wine, salsa, stir fry sauce, drew’s salad dressing) is all very yummy. Why is that?
There are font snobs out there who will boycott your restaurant if you use Papyrus or similar.
True, but I don’t think the 40-something font snobs are generally considered a target audience. You’d lose, what, like two people?
That said, typeface choice is still important because of the subconscious connotations that different typefaces carry with them. When Michael Beirut was asked in an interview about campaign design whether the average person could appreciate that Gotham is a uniquely American typeface, he admitted that not many people would know that as a fact, but that the typeface still carries with it a strong American vernacular. Papyrus carries with it thoughts of The Crocodile Hunter.
5.Mar.2008 1.27pm
I think that locale and food are probably the only thing that would matter more with a restaurant than other businesses. Were I working on a restaurant I would check out every restaurant nearby and make sure that the type won’t by confused with competitors. It’s probably also good to make sure that the menu type does not clash with the food; I often eat at a place that serves a mix of flavorful American and French dishes and has a menu set in Helvetica, which just does not connect at all.
5.Mar.2008 1.33pm
Are you speaking of designing a logo for a restaurant? An advertisement? A menu?
James has given you good advice, I’d just like to add if you are designing/working on the menu - find out what the age group will be frequenting the restaurant. Keep a style in mind for what their eyes can read... Also, how is the lighting at the restaurant? Older folks need larger type... etc. etc. etc.
5.Mar.2008 2.09pm
I was going to make a button out of this and put it in the cheeky type sayings thread, but oh well. “Slab-serifs make me hungry.”
That being said I dunno if it’s the right thing for a restaurant at all. Also blue is the most unappetizing color.
5.Mar.2008 2.29pm
Whatever type you use (for logo or menu) do not use any bundled font. There are font snobs out there who will boycott your restaurant if you use Papyrus or similar. The font needs to be obscure and a bit quirky, and take more than 30 seconds to be identified on the type ID board.
5.Mar.2008 4.07pm
when sii says font snobs he means people with vision.
5.Mar.2008 4.27pm
Do anything you want, but when it’s time to design the menus, remember a few things: restaurants often have very low and uneven lighting, and people of every age go out to eat. Use a clear, conventional typeface, at generous size (10-13 point), and take advantage of bold and italic for emphasis. Print it in dark ink on light paper (no brown kraft paper). Customers will appreciate it, and waiters will be happy they don’t have to read the whole menu to people.
5.Mar.2008 4.39pm
Ditto Carl, but would it not be possible to use a clear, UNconventional typeface? If that’s an oxymoron, there’s some redundancy in your phrase :-)
***
Speaking as a Typophile, the best menu I’ve ever come across was in 2005, Caffe Uno, an Italian restaurant in Norwich, England.
We’re outside on the patio, under a tree in an old cobblestone market area (“Tombland”—not etymologically derived from graves, apparently) on a lovely summer evening, and the menu is tall and big, printed in letterpress Futura, on a laid card stock. Mmmmmm!
5.Mar.2008 4.46pm
Letterpress menus? And I thought it was nice when the Inn at Little Washington laser-printed my menus for special occasions!
5.Mar.2008 5.07pm
Yes, “clear, conventional” could be redundant, but I want to emphasize the idea that everyone should be able to read it. You could indeed use Grotext, Sauna, Beaufort, Aichel, Mentor, Tyfa, Caliban, James Paul or any other legible face.
Letterpress menus indeed sound sumptuous. Maybe the owner has a press in the basement. If I ever have a restaurant I’ll do that.
5.Mar.2008 7.04pm
>when sii says font snobs he means people with vision.
Correct, as opposed to people with taste.
Good food & bad menu font > bad food & good menu font.
6.Mar.2008 9.20am
Yea you’re completely right Simon.
Everything in my kitchen with papyrus on it (a gross amount: moonstone crossing wine, salsa, stir fry sauce, drew’s salad dressing) is all very yummy. Why is that?
6.Mar.2008 3.31pm
There are font snobs out there who will boycott your restaurant if you use Papyrus or similar.
True, but I don’t think the 40-something font snobs are generally considered a target audience. You’d lose, what, like two people?
That said, typeface choice is still important because of the subconscious connotations that different typefaces carry with them. When Michael Beirut was asked in an interview about campaign design whether the average person could appreciate that Gotham is a uniquely American typeface, he admitted that not many people would know that as a fact, but that the typeface still carries with it a strong American vernacular. Papyrus carries with it thoughts of The Crocodile Hunter.
6.Mar.2008 6.46pm
> There are font snobs out there who will boycott your restaurant if you use Papyrus or similar.
And that will cut sales by what, 0.5%?