As with The Rabbit Hole, this project started with visits and workshops with the owners to understand their new vision for Tango, implementing our standard 3-point process, we were able to craft a new brand foundation. The result was to establish Tango as a ‘Social Bar and Kitchen’, allowing guests to “kindle conversations over Latin American inspired flavours that dance on the palate”.

For this branding update, we explored various themes relating to the Tango dance, the movements, and origins, plus, wider Latin American values and historic design. The logo itself had a minor refresh, but we were able to introduce a range of brand collateral and elements such as patterns, textures, colour, and iconography with influences from our research. One key element was a mural which fuses elements of Durham, such as the Elvet Bridge and connections to the area’s history with the smiley face icon as a pop of bright colour, into one piece of art. The mural was used in relocation advertising and you’ll now see it across a selection of menus.

We introduced the smiley face graphic icon as a key part of the brand which can be found on the mural, signage and across the website and menus. It’s all about bringing a cheeky splash of fun elements to the branding that represents one of the brand values.

We also redesigned the website to bring in the new branding, while re-working the user experience for easier access to see key information about Tango, such as the menus and booking platform.

The result creates a bigger, better Tango with respect to its roots and allows for a wider scope of offerings and audience, where guests can come together in the heart of Durham to share good times and great food.

We were very excited to work with a local brand which was already established and loved in the area. Following initial visits to the site, discussions, and workshops with the owners, we got to understand their vision and the market we were targeting. We implemented our 3-point process. With research into the area, food, and culture, we created a story that encompassed the values and proposition of the brand. The results were ‘Explore time-honoured Cantonese and fusion dishes, uncovering new flavours that stir your senses.’

With further research into the culture of the rabbit name we discovered the rabbit has a lot of significant meanings and interpretations – The traditional Chinese character used for rabbit is a pictographic character of the wild rabbit with long ears and a short tail. The rabbit also symbolises the moon. According to ancient legend, Chang’e Flying to the Moon where Chang’e drank the elixir of life and flew to the moon with a white rabbit in her arms, therefore it was believed the spot on the moon to be the rabbit. The moon rabbit is seen pounding the elixir of life in a pestle and mortar.

We used this reference to create the new logo and we also created a character mascot of the rabbit as an illustration so that we could show him come to life in animation –  grinding the pestle and mortar, lifting noodles from a bowl with chopsticks, sipping a martini, playing a saxophone – bringing him to life on the website and as social media assets that we created as part of the branding work to show all the offerings that the venue includes.

The website and items such as menus include textures and style references to Cantonese life and art, Chinese handscrolls and seals, and the logo created is styled as in Chinese culture, families and artists would use signature stamps to sign off important documents and pieces of artworks, so we created a unique stamp as The Rabbit Hole logo.

Colours and typefaces used all have a reason whether they relate to tradition, add richness or a splash of modern contrast.

Stirring the senses is at the heart of the story and sums up the experience at The Rabbit Hole as a journey of exploration.

We were tasked with taking their brand to the next level by developing a full set of extensive guidelines, define their proposition and set the standards for their many sub-brands and modules.

The first step was to understand the brand and its many products, so we could clearly define their ‘who, what and why’ theories. We felt that we needed to create a clear picture around each sub-brand and filter all the documentation that supports these products. The process was really thorough as we had to understand how each sub-product worked and what their USPs are.

Once we had defined the brand proposition, we set about creating colour palettes, defining typography and building visual assets. The tone of voice was also added to the mix to create a complete brand that is both flexible enough to be creative but also be structured and consistent enough to create impact.

We always work very closely with brands during and following a project like this and use the guidelines we’ve set in place to create much more of their brand collateral in a consistent and recognisable manner. This so far has covered everything from stationery to product documentation and email templates.

Nevaya is a constantly developing brand that is growing from strength to strength, so keep keep an eye out for their work the next time you’re staying at a hotel. They’ll probably be on a screen near you.