The menu. The most vital graphic an eatery can have. The importance is second to none. When creating a menu design for your eatery, there are numerous areas to consider, in order to get it right.
Unlike the majority of your marketing efforts, your menu will be seen by all of your customers and visitors. This is a unique advantage that few other businesses have. So, nailing the design of your menu is a key effort in your overall marketing plan.
Represent your brand through menu design
Your menu should represent your eatery’s atmosphere, centre around your general business objectives, boost your productivity and entice your customers. To achieve those objectives, you need to focus on your menu building. It’s not as basic as mindlessly listing your food and drinks and listing a cost. You must carefully deliberate it and consider the customer at all times.
Spoiled for choice
It is already hard enough to decide where to go for dinner! We have all done it, spent hours of our time scanning google, trying to make a decision on where to eat out. The last thing you want is to spend even more time deciding what to order, when you finally agree on where to go.
Although having lots of choice is great for some people, it can be quite daunting and a difficult experience. Initially, the idea of endless choices is great but when it comes to choosing, the task can seem almost impossible. Additionally, it adds time onto a customers visit which overall will reduce the footfall of your eatery.
To combat this, a carefully curated and simplified menu is preferred.
To create a perfectly presented design, it is advised that restaurants carry out a trailing process. This allows you to gather widespread opinion of the potential menu, ensuring the final meals you choose are favourable.
Doing this avoids the possibility of being spoiled for choice and customers feeling overwhelmed. Additionally, it allows you to focus in on a carefully curated menu, allowing you to perfect it and excel in your trade.
First impressions are key
Not every customer is going to spend a significant amount of time looking at your menu design. For many, it takes little to no time to decide what they are having and then the menu is quickly discarded. Hence, it is important to consider this consumer when creating your design.
Capture attention with innovative, brand-focused and engaging designs. Create an affiliation between your brand and your menu, ensuring customers maintain brand recognition.
When creating a menu design, it is also important to consider the scientifically proven patterns in which people read menus. Researching this pattern of behaviour will be extremely beneficial as it affords you the insight into the most popular areas of attention and allows you to organise your menu accordingly.
Consider your menu colour palette
We as human beings are no strangers to the power of colour and association. From the very early stages of our education, we are taught to associate colours with feelings and emotions. Hence, many of us have deeply engrained connotations that we often subconsciously enforce when we see a particular colour.
It can be argued that we subconsciously associate certain colours with certain foods. For example, blue may be associated with fish, as they are commonly connected with the sea. Red may signify meat, due to its strong, dominating colour. Hence, the use of red in a steakhouse or burger bar may be ideal. Lighter colours, such as pastel pinks can often be associated with desserts, this may be due to the sweet nature of the food.
Menu design at Kaizen Brand Evolution
As a design studio our team understand the psychology of menu design and how important it is for us to deliver a menu that not only looks good, but functions well and plays on the psychology of your customers.
At Kaizen Brand Evolution we have designed hundreds of menus for bars, restaurants and cafes all across the country. Our understanding of many market sectors and the ability to draw from our experience, ensures we are experts in menu creation. We have one of the largest design studio teams in Belfast or Dublin and our focus is always on developing the best menu to suit your business needs.
To discuss a creative project for your business, get in touch with our team via the contact form or on 028 95072007.