Top down view of a white ipad and white cup of dark coffee sitting on a bright green background. Open on the ipad is a digital, full-page flyer that announces the Restaurant Academy program and goes into detail on what the topics covered will be, what to expect, and where to register.
The Small Business Development Center offers free advising, workshops, and resources for small businesses. During the Covid19 pandemic, they have been hard at work helping their clients continue to grow and thrive. One of the ways they are doing so is through targeted mini-programs such as Restaurant Academy, which has the goal of helping food businesses adapt to the new normal.
This is a rectangular image split down the middle with a green bar to create two squares. On the left side there is a title that says, "Sketches" sitting ontop of a photograph of a sketchbook filled with pencil sketches of potential Restaurant Academy logos. On the right side of the image there is a photograph of a hand squeezing lime on to a row of tacos filled with chickpeas, avocado, tomatoes, and peppers.
A rectangular image with a green bar running down the middle to create to squares. On the left side a white bowl sits on top of a red and white striped napkin and a wooden placemat. A spoon is next to the bowl. In the bowl is a thick orange smoothie topped with, coconut, avocado, dragonfruit, and chia seeds. The square on the right has a headline saying "Logo + Variations" and shows the Restaurant Academy logo - which is stacked sans serif text. The top line is a light blue and says "Restaurant" while the bottom line is in bright orange and says "Academy" there is an icon of a sylized carrot top in front of "Academy." Below that is the same logo all in white shown on a bright pink field. At the bottom of the square is the sylized carrot icon contained within a white circle with an orange outline.
Another rectangle split into two squares using a green bar down the middle. On the left is the title "Color Palette" written in a sans serif typeface. Below it are four tall rectangles in a row. From left to right - A light blue rectangle with white text saying "Caribbean Blue." Next to that is a hot pink rectangle with white text at the bottom which reads "Pitaya Pink." Next to that is a lime green rectangle with white text at the bottom which reads "Sweet Lime." Finally the last rectangle is a bright orange one which white text on the bottom that reads "Carrot Juice." On the right side of the image there is a clear class filled with sparkling water, water melon pieces, mint leaves, and halved limes. It is sitting on a wooden cutting board, which sits on a blue wooden surface. Around the glass are ice cubes, more lime pieces, more watermelon pieces.
My role as a graphic designer was to develop branding and create a flyer, a certificate of completion, and an email newsletter. For the overall branding, the focus was to keep some of the standard SBDC elements (solid color geometric shapes, red and blue, type focused) and turn them into something more light, fun, modern, and positive. The red and blue were shifted to a brighter pink and blue that are more fresh and exciting. Orange and green were added as accent colors. The geometric shapes and use of borders were kept but the offset black outline was added to liven it up. The logo features a carrot because they are bright, crisp, healthy, and refreshing.

I selected the typeface Acre by Jonathan Ball because it is a geometric sans serif like Montserrat, the typeface used by SBDC for their logos and headlines. Again, the goal was to create something in line with but slightly straying from the usual SBDC branding. Acre is also narrower than Montserrat. Since "Restaurant Academy" is long, using a narrow typeface doesn't make it feel long. Instead, it is bright, sharp, compact, and clear. Acre also features apexes that come to a slightly flattened point, which subtly mimics the shape of a carrot, as seen in the A, M, and N.
Rectangular image showing different objects sitting on a bright orange background. There is a phone, notepad, and certificate all in a row. Above this group sits three round stickers featuring the stylized carrot icon in a white circle with an orange outline. The phone is showing the introduction email that is sent to people who register for the program. At the top of the email is the Restaurant Academy logo. Below it is a hot pink box with a black outline that is offset. The text simply explains what to expect in the program. Next to it is a notepad. The notepad has a green outline around the pages, a header that says "Success Starts Here" which is white text on an orange rectangle with an offset black outline. Below that are light blue lines for writing on. At the very bottom right of the notepad is the stylized carrot top in the white circle with an orange outline. To the right of the notepad is a certificate of achievement that will be awarded to each person who graduates the program. The certificate has a blue outline, with a secondary green outline. The Restaurant Academy logo is at the top. The text reads "This is to certify that Rodrigo Conejo has successfully completed the Restaurant Academy program on July 15, 2020." The name Rodrigo Conejo is in large white letters on an orange rectangle with a offset black outline. Below that are two lines for the signatures of the supervisor and program director. At the very bottom of the certificate there is the Small Business Association logo, the logo for the California governer's small business program, then there is the logo for the Los Angeles Small Business Development Center.
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