Anagrama gives a Mexican restaurant a modern rebranding that's packed with heritage.
The peculiar mix of influences in the history of Saltillo Coahuila gave Anagrama plenty to work with in its rustic branding for El Montero restaurant
Prolific Mexican studio Anagrama has added another superb entry to its portfolio with branding for a new high-end restaurant.
El Montero is a restaurant located in Saltillo Coahuila, a city very close to Mexico’s northern border. The brief covered extensive branding, including packaging for gift sets that the restaurant sells, interior designs, stationery, opening night invitations, wine bottle labels, menus and signage for the restaurant.
All these elements were carefully designed to reflect the area’s heritage.
Comprehensive branding exercise covered everything from stationery to wine bottles
Saltillo Coahuila is sometimes known as the Athens of Mexico, given its intellectual past, but also the Detroit of Mexico due to it being a manufacturing centre for the likes of Mercedes Benz, General Motors and Chrysler. This unusual mixture of academia and industry creates a unique atmosphere that Anagrama sought to reflect in its design.
"Its kitchen represents the restaurant’s surroundings, as it is located on one of Mexico’s deserts," explains Anagrama’s Miguel Angel Herrera. "El Montero’s menu is inspired by regional food, integrating elements from contemporary kitchens.
Branding had to exude an unusual mix of academia and industry
"Our job as brand developers was to create a personality where we could glorify traditional kitchen values, making the most of regional raw materials.
"For the interiors, we developed a project where antique elements could be combined with modern objects, allowing the space to communicate its gastronomical concept."
This showcase was originally published in Computer Arts issue 208.
