Facade Refresh
The exterior of a restaurant, bar or club can be a powerful brand asset. Mark Ridley’s environment feels so ready for an upgrade — starting from the outside. For a comedy venue, I really like the idea of wrapping it in color, and ideally a really playful pattern.
The redesign process can be a bit disconcerting and overwhelming for clients. There’s often a fear of being pushed too far out of their comfort zone. After all, whatever is being rebranded is their baby and sometimes its hard to entertain other points of view. Offering degrees of departure from the existing feel can help them ease into the design process, so here I’m offering up three: safe (primarily flat color), medium (adding in a subtle pattern and a dad joke) and bolder (a bit more dramatic in contrast and pattern.)
Let’s assume the client wants to stick with the current external setup: awnings, a banner, and wall treatments. It sits on a corner, but for this exercise I’m only designing this facade.
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Option 1: Front Facade
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Option 1: Corner Detail
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Option 2: Front Facade
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Option 2: Corner Detail
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Option 3: Front Facade
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Option 3: Corner Detail
Sign Concepts
If the client is open to more sign options, there are a lot more permanent and current approaches we could offer. (Full disclosure: I love doing mockups, and signs are a great opportunity to play.) Here are some options for consideration:
Modern Blade
Rustic Blade
Banner Flag
Wall of Fame
If you’re not familiar with this establishment, you may not be aware of it’s history and reputation. The outside wall of the club seems like a great opportunity to advertise the long list of quality comedians who have graced this stage. As seasons progress, simple stencils could be generated to add new names to the wall.
