04 — Ad campaign case study for a restaurant
Focus 05
Rethinking the ads for a downtown restaurant so they speak to millennials instead of scaring them off. Course project for GRA 280, Design Thinking for Graphic Designers.
The problem
The restaurant's original ads used formal typography, a dark color scheme and upscale food photography. That made Focus 05 look expensive and stiff, the opposite of what people 22 to 42 want when they're picking somewhere to unwind with friends. The copy was also hard to read on a phone, which is where this audience would see it.
Who it's for
Millennials who are comfortable with technology, social, and value-conscious. They decide quickly from what they see online, they care what friends think, and they like brands that feel relaxed and relatable. So the ads needed to make the vibe and value clear at a glance, and look good on a small screen.
Iterating
My first mockups had strong imagery but left out what someone actually needs to act: where the place is and how to reach it. After feedback I added the Spring Street address and phone number to every version, and gave each one a short line of copy so it reads in a couple of seconds: “Break away from the mundane,” “Dive into the vibe,” “Plug in, sit back and unwind.”
Why it works
I swapped the luxury food shots for lifestyle images the audience would recognize from their own feeds: the Shiba in a beanie, a colorful mural, a phone in hand. Heavy serif type gave way to bold, simple sans serifs that hold up at banner size. Three distinct concepts share one logo lockup and contact bar, so the set reads as one brand while each ad has its own personality.