The Rogue Gentlemen
In early 2014, I began working with The Rogue Gentlemen, a cocktail bar in Richmond, VA, on starting a menu design program. The program would focus on creating a new visual menu design four times a year to coincide with the bar's rotating selection of seasonal cocktails. In the first design, we worked with 28 local artists to create 28 unique pieces of "cocktail artwork." Each artist was asked to visit the restaurant and bring with them whatever supplies they would like to be able to create a piece of artwork on a cocktail coaster while enjoying 1 of the 28 cocktails on the menu. The hope was that each unique cocktail would inspire a unique piece or artwork. The menu is a photo collection of each coaster with a short statement from the artist about the process. From there, menus have been anything from MadLibs to a decision tree to a camping journal. All of the menus are designed not only to be witty and clever but also to engage the customer and provide for a more memorable experience.