Junction
Profile
Owners Nick and Ingrid Holguin had a vision for their new restaurant, the Junction; a hidden gem for friends to enjoy the local the culture through a vibrant and welcoming atmosphere.
The Junction is a tapas and wine bar with Mediterranean and Latin fusions for locals to gather and share their love of great food in the company of local artists and musicians.
After launching The Patio Kitchen catering services and a branded food trailer in San Jose, California, the leadership team wanted their new concept to include their tradition of dinner with friends under their jacaranda tree, the inspiration for The Patio Kitchen logo and website.
“[Our vision is] to become the Paso Robles neighborhood food and wine bar where friends, new and old, are welcome and where everyone is a regular.” – Nick & Ingrid Holguin, Founders
Problem
The main challenges:
- Translating the legacy into a new brand and restaurant space
- Appealing to both overlapping and segmented target audiences
- Instilling experiential goals into design
Moox worked closely with Junction’s leadership to leverage their catering business’ brand equity and recognition, while expressing the new values of local culture and bonding for their new restaurant concept, Junction.
Moox uncovered key elements to keep the legacy components from The Patio Kitchen while providing a fresh identity that reflects the new values. Moox believed the evolution of the Junction brand did not need to eliminate the recognition of The Patio Kitchen had already built within their community.
The owners also planned on making the interior design of the restaurant a place where guests sit and stay a while, sharing drinks and tapas in good company. The identity had to balance many elements at once, but it was just a matter of identifying the consistent, relevant, and memorable fingerprints that make Junction, Junction.
Solution
First and foremost, Moox identified that Junction’s restaurant environment was beyond the dinner menu. Family, friends, and human connection is the DNA that sets Junction far apart from other restaurant motives in their local area.
Moox understood the importance of the brand reflecting what the customers would expect from the physical location; an experience, a local legacy that lives in their charming establishment.
To uncover the potential under Junction’s legacy, unique cuisine, and leadership values, Moox:
- Conducted market research and competitive analysis
- Identified the most profitable positioning
- Create a catchy tagline
- Designed a unique logo
- Crafted complementary signage
- Strategized and developed website design
To differentiate Junction’s image within the saturated market for wine in the Paso Robles area, Moox conducted a competitive analysis and identified key differentiators for Junction.
Key visual characteristics were designed to communicate:
- Welcoming
- Warm and intricate
- Historic legacy
- Artistic & organic curves
Moox found that the audience was primarily locals who were looking for an authentic casual dining experience with a local feel. They also found that customers valued locally sourced food and a connection to the community.
The positioning and messaging for Junction centered around communicating the essence of bringing friends together with local food, wine, and culture.
The logo was designed to evoke a comfortable environment where people feel welcome to stay for a while, bring friends, and enjoy their local art scene.
Branding
Environmental Signage
Website
Results
The Junction brand identity communicated a strong connection with their heritage and community with a warm and welcoming look.
The “Food & Friends” tagline effectively communicated the restaurant’s core values and helped to establish a unique and memorable brand identity.
Additionally, Moox’s assistance in the signage and website design process created a cohesive and effective brand implementation and a consistent brand experience for customers inside and outside the restaurant.
Overall, the branding efforts were successful in creating a charming brand that reflects the restaurant environment while maintaining their hard-earned brand equity.
I love the concept of Spanish food, because it’s really simple. You can literally catch your train from our backyard
[Junction] Is a real community space created as a reflection of the owners' home and geared toward the local community.
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I love that you were able to invest time in us to listen to all our ideas and still be able to distill them and put our image into words.
Nick & Ingrid Holguin Owners