Client

ResMex Partners

Year

2021

Type of Work

BrandingStrategyVisual DesignPackaging Design

Cocina Mexicana

A delightful, bountiful, and creative reflection of the land we come from.

Context

Nestled in the heart of San Jose’s Santana Row, Zazil is focused on traditional dishes from Valle de Guadalupe, an increasingly popular tourist destination for wine and Baja Med cuisine. Many compare the Valle de Guadalupe to California’s Sonoma County as it was decades ago. The atmosphere is relaxed and rustic but sophisticated at the same time.

Solution

For the relaunch of ResMex Partners original Santana Row dining gem, Pineapple developed a brand platform that captured the essence of the Valle de Guadalupe dining experience. This drove not only the identity and digital design but helped guide the overall architecture and interior design. In the end, the resulting touchpoints brought the dining experience to life and helped drove ResMex’s best launch.

01 Experience

As a basis for the Zazil brand we embraced the philosophy of Rough-Luxe. We stayed true to the founders' concept and their intent on being authentic to the natural beauty of Northern Mexico. We reinvented this idea and worked with the architects to redefine what would be considered luxury. We embraced minimalism and extravagance and celebrated imperfection.

02 Visual Design

Once we established the overall brand experience and identity, we then took that foundation and extended the design into each key touchpoint. From signage to packaging, digital and beyond, we came up with a visual design language that was able to communicate the brand essence.

03 Digital Design

The digital design ended up being even more important than we originally intended. Zazil launched directly into the Covid-19 crisis and building the brand relied more on their digital presence than we expected. Unable to host guests in the new restaurant space, the Zazil site has had to help drive the brand experience and support takeout and delivery orders.

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