Situated on the west coast of Barbados in the exclusive St James area, often referred to as the Platinum Coast, Lone Star is renowned for its idyllic beach setting, celebrity clientele and buzzy yet laid-back atmosphere. It’s a place where discerning guests can enjoy fine cuisine and a considered wine list in a setting that feels effortlessly relaxed.

Lone Star required a new suite of menus to give the restaurant a more unique and refreshed look and feel, as their existing menus lacked a sense of ownability and cohesion, which presented us with an opportunity to create something that felt much more connected to the character of the venue and its surroundings.

We developed a range of hand-crafted illustrations depicting key focal points around the venue, alongside a suite of hand-drawn frame details inspired by the iconic frames featured along the wall of the main entrance staircase. These elements became the foundations of a distinctive graphic language that could be carried consistently across the wider menu suite.

The loose, expressive illustrations were paired with selective applications of blue watercolour, adding texture and a strong sense of brand recognition. When combined with the bespoke frame details, the assets created striking visuals that captured the relaxed yet sophisticated nature of Lone Star.

The illustrated assets were utilised across the different menus, with individual illustrations becoming instant identifiers for each cover. This created a cohesive family of menus while allowing each one to retain its own personality, helping to establish a stronger and more ownable identity for the restaurant.

To further elevate the frame concept, die-cut finishes were introduced across some of the key menus. This transformed the frame from a purely graphic device into a physical one, creating a window within the cover that offered customers a glimpse through to the illustration on the inner pages. The detail added a tactile quality to the menus and encouraged a moment of interaction and discovery.

The visual language was carried through to the inner pages, where clean typographic layouts were balanced with considered frame details. The framing became more than a decorative element, working as a flexible device to structure the menus, highlight key sections and draw attention to particular dishes while keeping the overall layouts clean and easy to navigate.

The finished menu suite gives Lone Star a distinctive and cohesive look that feels genuinely connected to the experience of the restaurant. Through the combination of hand-drawn illustration, selective watercolour, bespoke framing and tactile die-cut finishes and paper stocks, the menus became elevated without feeling overly formal and relaxed without losing their sense of sophistication.