2023 Meets 1923
BAR NEXT DOOR
West Hollywood's classy, comfortable, neighbourhood hot-spot needed a timeless menu for their grand opening.
Inspired by the big screen's golden age, we were able to combine elegance and spectacle in a way that made the "Roaring Twenties" feel just as relevant a century later.
Skills In Action
Custom Illustration
Graphic Design
The Low Down
When Bar Next Door opened their doors in 2023, they had one simple goal; to provide customers with a refined commonplace to celebrate life's special moments.
By offering top shelf experiences and cocktails, their aim was to become one of West Hollywood's must-visit destinations for locals and visitors alike, to feel both welcome and comfortable. After a global pandemic, this was no small feat.
The Nitty Gritty
With the hopes of replicating tabloid newspapers of the time, the challenge was to capture the glitz and glam while staying true to the bold, textured, and unpolished look of early newsprint design.
We explored a variation of rendering techniques around ink/linework and light shading for the drinks. The challenge became how to blend time-accurate photographs with digitally-rendered drawings for some of the ads and larger, splash images.
Coming Together
By utilizing the brand's established colour palette of rich browns and warm, desaturated hues, we were able to give the menu a modern, yet nostalgic feel, to match the tone and overall vibe of the bar's interior.
Some back and forth regarding ad space and page layout was par for the course, lots of last minute arrangements go into establishing a menu, here is where Brynn and Carolyn's expertise really shines.
Roll Credits
The end result is a beautiful piece of art and a fun piece of design that serves as not only an aesthetic success, but a functional one as well.
It's an eye-catching, conversation starter for patrons. A history lesson for visitors. And most importantly, it's a part of the brand story that the Bar Next Door family is proud to show off.
The project has spurred ongoing collaboration that includes inserts for holiday and themed events, as well as new updates and signature cocktail offerings for sponsors.
Since opening day in 2023, Bar Next Door has won several awards and is recognized as one of Hollywood's premiere, 'must-visit' locations. I'm thankful to have been able to play a small part in that. Cheers!
