Istanbul’lu
Industry: Hospitality
Services: Brand Identity, Marketing Collaterals
Rebranding of a traditional Turkish restaurant aiming to attract a more younger audience.
The brief.
Istanbul’lu is a local Turkish restaurant in Somerville, MA. It serves homey, authentic food from a region near the Black Sea, in Turkey. The restaurant caters to Somerville locals, families with children and members of the Turkish community.
The goal of the rebranding is to introduce the Turkish cuisine and culture to a more modern, younger crowd but to also reaffirm his position among the loyal Turkish consumers for whom the restaurant is a place that soothe their nostalgia about Turkey.
The design solution.
The concept behind the rebranding focuses on the core value of the restaurant - serving traditional, home-made authentic cooking. One traditional representation in Turkish culture is expressed through the Turkish rugs decorated with different kinds of symbols for motherhood, luck, fate, etc. Thus the creative idea is revolving around a symbol inspired by a traditional motif in Turkish folk art which is a metaphor for motherhood.
Turkish folk art is full of traditional motifs and symbols that represent different life concepts and beliefs. A widely used motif is the “elibelinde”, a stylized female figure, motherhood and fertility.
The typography and mono-color palette which reflects one of the main ingredient from the Turkish cuisine - tomatoes - point to the modern twist needed to attract a younger crowd to the restaurant.
