Menu Development
The Strand - Simpson's Menu Suite Design
Menu design, menu science and menu philosophy are some of our specialisms at Curate. So when we were asked to work with Jeremy King Restaurants to create their menu suites and collateral for the launch of The Strand – including Simpson’s The Grand Divan, Simpson’s Bar, Simpson’s Assembly Room, Nellie’s Tavern, and Romano’s, we were very excited to be involved.
Each part of the building has an identity of its own under the umbrella of The Strand. The whole building has such an interesting history and story to it and the new interiors richly reflect that. Creating the most suitable format, layouts and paper texture to sit with each venue was integral, to give the guest the desired feel and flow in each of the different settings and spaces.
We worked closely with the team at Simpson’s to make sure the launch went smoothly. It was an honour and one of our favourite things do on a project, to tour the site before launch during renovation and then again afterwards when it’s live, to see everything in place and in action.
Watch this space for more, as we continue to work with the team at Jeremy King Restaurants.
Menu print by West Three Colour, London
Sanctuary Knocker Branding
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- Branding
- Brand story development
- Brand social assets
- Interior design
Sanctuary Knocker is a luxury boutique apart-hotel set in the heart of Durham, featuring sweeping views of the cathedral and the stunning landscape that surrounds it. Curate were originally briefed to develop the name generation and brand creation for the project, which also included logo design, art direction, and interior art and design exploration.
From the outset, the ambition was to create much more than a visual identity; the goal was to build a fully immersive brand experience that would resonate across each touchpoint, from print and digital applications to the interior and spatial environment itself. We worked closely in partnership with Interior Architects Space ID to ensure this was all unified throughout the space.
At the centre of the concept was our brand hero and fictional character William Holme, a late 19th-century explorer and traveller with a passion for discovery. His creatively embellished life and travels became the foundation of the brand, influencing both the visual identity and the interior styling. This allowed the interior spaces and brand assets to feel collected and personal, as if shaped by a lifetime of exploration. Every aspect of the new brand was considered, with historic photographs, maps and artefacts used to tell his story.
The apart-hotel features four suites, each inspired by a different location that William experienced on his many journeys to build on the brand narrative: the Moroccan Marrakesh Suite, the Pyrenees-influenced Andorra Suite, the chinoiserie Peking Suite, and the contemporary New-York, London, Dubai inspired Pioneer Suite.
The primary logo adopts an intentionally minimal approach, taking the form of a simple wordmark set in a traditional serif typeface with a subtle modern edge. This simplicity ensures a sense of timelessness and sophistication, allowing the storytelling and interiors to take centre stage. Alongside the main mark, a series of suite-specific logos were developed to give each space its own identity while maintaining consistency across the brand. These marks act as subtle signifiers, reinforcing the individuality of each suite while ensuring they all echo the same visual aesthetic.
The design application adopts a layered, textural approach, combining evocative photography of the interiors and personal travel photos with memorabilia and keepsakes collected by William Holme, set against a rich and considered brand palette. This creates a cohesive visual language, acting as a natural continuation of the story told within the interiors of Sanctuary Knocker.
To ensure the brand had an appropriately contemporary feel, a series of patterns were developed from the shapes within the suite logos. These patterns introduced a modern layer to the identity, ensuring it felt current and relevant when subtly applied across interior elements. This is very apparent when viewing the suites shower screens and furnishings, which add texture without overwhelming the spaces.
Overall, the project combines storytelling, design, and environment to create a brand that feels thoughtful, distinctive, and cohesive, offering guests an experience that is both elegant and immersive.
To discover more about William’s story or to book a stay visit www.sanctuaryknocker.co.uk
Grain to Glass Branding
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- Branding
- Website design and implementation
- Brand social assets
- Stationery
Mathias Lentz, founder of Grain to Glass, brings over 15 years of invaluable experience to the beer industry, where he has established himself as a leader in product development, production, sales, distribution, and innovation. Today he utilises his extensive knowledge and expertise by offering consultancy and advice to people at all points within the brewing process.
Mathias reached out for our assistance with developing a brand identity for his new venture, with a core focus on his multi-level expertise.
We began the process with a workshop to obtain a deeper understanding of Mathias’s key goals and what he wanted to achieve from the brand. Through this exercise we found the intricacies of the brewing process mirrored the detailed knowledge Mathias possessed – something he was incredibly passionate about highlighting within the brand.
The result was the creation of a brand that focussed on every level of the brewing process, which had a clear mission to enhance efficiency through both business and environmental perspectives. This led to the creation of a highly considered corporate identity with a simplistic logo mark that highlighted the story of beer brewing while also injecting the key attributes of Mathias himself. The mark worked to reflect the various stages of the brewing process as well as historical methods used, all whilst presenting Mathias’ extensive knowledge on the subject.
The accompanying palette was developed to reflect the key components used within the brewing process. Blue tones were used to represent the water, whilst the beige and cream hues mirror the malt and barley.
A complimentary brand pattern was created based on the brand palette, mirroring the shapes and forms of the logo mark while also providing a strong template to produce various visual collateral ensuring a cohesive brand aesthetic.
Virgin Active Summer Campaign
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- Campaign
- Brand Messaging
- Copywriting
We wanted the imagery to be punchy and bold and really make a statement with the typography intertwined, working with the Virgin Active tone of voice and brand colours to create a premium feel. We chose the imagery with an emphasis on the emotion and feeling to really support the campaign headline of “What a feeling”.
The campaign assets are live in print and digital forms on the website, social media, leaflets, posters and digital screens. We also animated the digital assets to create energy and movement.
We’re so happy with the results. We just have to see if we can touch our toes now. What a feeling.
Menus, menus, menus
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- Brand support
- Menu design and creation
- Project management
As The Ivy Collection’s creative partner, we work on a regular basis with their team to create and produce their suite of menus. As an iconic restaurant brand, these menus are an integral part of their brand vision and guest experience. We support their team with seasonal menu changes and any event and promotional menus throughout the year.
As an integrated part of the process, we work alongside The Ivy Collection’s brand & marketing team, food & beverage team and their Chef’s. The stunning illustrations created by Adam Ellis bring the seasonal menu changes to life and the print by IPW1 is meticulous and super-organised as these pieces are massively time sensitive. We’ve also been involved in creating some of the illustrations created for bespoke menus within our team at Curate.
These menus really exhibit the true ‘art of a menu’ and how a menu is a sensory, tactile part of the brand and guest experience. The production process is constantly being refined and improved, with a strong focus on team-work between the in-house team, printer and ourselves. The term ‘well-oiled machine’ describes this creative process perfectly, as it’s no mean-feat to turnaround such a vast amount in such a short period of time.
We think the results show the dedication all round and it brings a smile to our faces to witness a guest at The Ivy peruse the à la carte successfully.
