I had the honor of connecting with Nick Longo of Longo Designs on the Twitter earlier this month. Not only will he be on the Grits X Grids Podcast next month, he also had a pretty great idea. “Why not showcase some up and coming talent on the blog?” Nick is an instructor at California State University’s Northridge campus. His design students were given the task of designing a complete brand identity packaging for a new restaurant concept of their creation.
The all-encompassing project was meant to challenge the Graphic Design class to first come up with an original QSR concept, then ushered them through brainstorming a name, logo and tagline.
“It was very important that each student developed a compelling food concept first,” says Longo. “Then students wrote their brand positioning statements which helped create the personality of the brand before the design stage.”
Once the brand’s foundations were created, students were tasked with pushing the project further by designing key touch points including:
- Graphic standards for the brand identity
- Menus
- 2 packaging components (minimum)
- Photo-shoot art direction with props and styling
“The students completely surpassed my expectations,” Longo explained. “As a part-time instructor, my goal is to give students real-world creative challenges that give them a competitive edge in the market place. This was a perfect project and I can’t wait to see it in their portfolios.”
There are some excellent high points in this mix where some stellar ideas shine through. The thinking, across the board, is top notch. If this is the future, I think we’re looking at a world of restaurant brands that will benefit greatly. Message to the students: Keep up the hard work and dedication.
