Restaurant Olivia
After successfully operating one of the most popular stalls in Denver’s Avanti F&B food hall, the talented leadership team behind Bistro Georgette was ready to try their hand at an independent restaurant space. Pivoting from French street food to an Italian trattoria concept, Restaurant Olivia was conceived as an ode to handmade pasta, negronis and other iconic Mediterranean classics.
We were introduced to the project just weeks before the team took over the historic space in Washington Park West. With only a couple months before owners Austin, Heather and Ty would debut Olivia’s opening menu, it was essential that we work swiftly to establish a new logo and visual style guide, as well as menu design and restaurant signage. Custom illustrations of pasta shapes became a key aspect of this visual brand identity, and were later applied to a “This Too Will Pasta” campaign representing the restaurant’s pivot to a fresh pasta shop during the Covid-19 pandemic.
LOCATION
Denver, Colorado
PROJECT SCOPE
Logo Design
Menu + Printed Materials Design
COLLABORATORS
Joni Schrantz, Photography
The Opportunity
With a corner lot on a highly trafficked road in Washington Park West, Olivia’s location offered both incredible visibility and potential foot traffic. By investing in eye-catching signage that echoed the elegant, but welcoming vibe of the restaurant, the team was able to establish brand awareness both quickly and effectively.
The Challenge
In taking over a space from another beloved neighborhood restaurant, Cafe Marmotte, the owners of Restaurant Olivia were inheriting both future customers and potential critics. Thinking through how to welcome the community created by the previous tenant while establishing a new brand was a critical part of the creative process.
Menu Design
Both Chef Ty Leon and Beverage Director Austin Carson wanted the menu to have a special, hand-crafted quality to echo the artisanal nature of their work. Hand-drawn illustrations brought a sense of warmth to the design, while custom leather menu covers by local artisan Animal Handmade added a sense of understated luxury. The illustrations were later repurposed for the design of limited edition “This Too Shall Pasta” merchandise during the Covid-19 pandemic.
THOUGHTS FROM THE CLIENT
“Working with Cognoscenti has been amazing. Their creative process is both thoughtful and efficient (a rare combination that I've grown more and more thankful for). We love their careful and organized approach, and have truly felt, at every turn, that their work has brought the soul of our business to life.”