· 5 min read
Telling your story on the menu: the about paragraph guests actually read
How to write the about line on a restaurant menu: length, placement, what to leave out, and why a forty-word paragraph beats a founder memoir on the inside cover. · 5 min read
Scandinavian menu design: clarity, air and honest materials
What makes a menu read as Scandinavian: a strict grid, one sans serif, lots of air, muted colour, uncoated paper and no ornament, with sizes and margins. · 5 min read
Mediterranean menu design: blue, terracotta and sun-bleached white
How to design a Mediterranean menu that feels like a coastal kitchen rather than a travel brochure: a three-colour palette that prints, warm paper and tile-based ornament. · 5 min read
Japanese-inspired menu design: asymmetry, washi and space
Principles behind a Japanese-inspired menu that avoids pastiche: asymmetric grids, generous emptiness, textured paper, one vertical accent, a single red seal, quiet type. · 5 min read
Art deco menus: geometry, gold and restraint
How to design an art deco menu that looks like 1928 rather than a Gatsby party: typefaces, frames, metallic effects that survive CMYK, dark paper and the rules of proportion. · 5 min read
Vintage and retro menu design without the clichés
How to design a vintage or retro menu that feels found rather than faked: choosing one era, period-correct typefaces, paper and ink that age well, and the tropes to avoid. · 5 min read
Choosing restaurant brand colours that work on paper and on screen
A method for picking restaurant brand colours that print faithfully in CMYK, read on a phone and suit food: gamut traps, contrast, paper and a three-colour palette. · 5 min read
The menu as a marketing tool: what guests take home in their head
The printed menu is the only ad every guest reads for several minutes. How to use it to shape memory, drive return visits and word of mouth without turning it into a flyer. · 4 min read
Consistent branding across menu, signage and website
Why the same colour looks different on a vinyl sign, a printed menu and a phone screen, and a practical method to keep type, colour and voice aligned across all three. · 5 min read
Illustrations and icons on menus: dietary symbols, ornaments and character
When a drawing earns its place on a menu and when it clutters: dietary and allergen icons that work at 3 mm, ornaments that fit the style, and how to source line art. · 5 min read
Matching your menu to your interior: materials, colours and mood
How to make a printed menu feel like it belongs in your room: reading the interior for palette, choosing paper to match materials, avoiding the mismatches guests notice. · 4 min read