The Original Otto’s Place Café & Lounge

Goal:
To create an entire restaurant concept and accompanying logo/identity for signage, menus, business cards, and other merchandise. The restaurant concept needs to fill the void in the current restaurant offerings, and the logo/identity needs to marry well with the historic town vibe.

Strategy:
Choose a secluded location that offers visitors a tranquil alternative to the bustling main street traffic. Use historically accurate fonts to design a logo that reflects the period and represents the town. Create a homestyle menu with items served in a comfortable, laid-back setting that provides views of the historic town.

Challenges:
Renovate a one-hundred-year-old building by adding a complete commercial kitchen and stairs to a second floor for additional dining space. The graphic design challenge was to create graphic elements that worked well across various media. Create menus that could be easily printed and updated and design a unique aesthetic that blends harmoniously with its surroundings.

Final Outcome:
We founded the Original Otto’s Place Café & Lounge, which became a beloved destination in our small tourist town. We had a dedicated following of locals and visitors who would drive three hours from Chicago just for breakfast. During most of our time in business, the restaurant consistently ranked as the number one spot on TripAdvisor and Yelp. 

While graphic design took a back seat to many of my restaurant duties, I created a logo that worked well with the historic town of Galena.

The original Otto’s Place Café & Lounge no longer exists in its former incarnation. However, our social media presence and reputation have enabled others to create their own interpretation of the concept. The original Otto’s Place sign remains on the side of the building, preserving the legacy.