Sabrina’s Tejano
Sabrina’s Tejano (ST) started as a creative exercise I was assigned for a job interview, along with Mason Wave. All that was provided to me was a name and told to create a brand identity from there. That project has evolved into what lies below.
My Roles & Responsibilities
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UX Designer
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Visual Designer
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Information Architect
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Primary and secondary research
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Organized and structured the information in the website to streamline the user experience
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Designed the initial and refined visual components of the website and branding
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Creating style guides
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Low-fidelity wireframes and prototypes
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High-fidelity designs and asset creation
Ideation
When I initially thought of Sabrina’s Tejano, I immediately went to a Tex-Mex or Mexican restaurant. Tejano means “a Mexican-American inhabitant of southern Texas.” I knew that it would have to be a brand rooted in Mexican culture but based somewhere in Texas.
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I always want ST to be more of a Rosa Mexicano and Gloria’s type of restaurant than on On the Border or Chuy’s. More upscale and date night rather than family-friendly and playful. I also wanted it to seem like an excellent place for a nice drink after work to relax with friends. With these initial thoughts in mind I came up with six keywords to always keep in mind with the brand:
Classic
Spicy
Exciting
Colorful
Playful
Flavorful
Logo Creation
Once I figured out the direction I wanted to take with the logo, I sketched out a few concepts to see which idea matched the keywords the most. I tried to always keep in mind how my original logo would transition into an alternate logo, badge, and favicon. I knew my original logo needed enough layers to be strong as a whole but still work when broken apart. That led me to my top three choices and digitizing them.
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I realized that the majority of Tex-Mex and Mexican restaurant uses peppers or some type of spice in their logo, so number three was quickly crossed out. Then came the choice to be super fancy, or super modern. I went with Current for the sole fact Sabrina’s Tejano is a place where a group can relax after work. I didn’t want it to seem so stuffy that you had to have a dress code, just that you knew you couldn’t be on a significant budget when you went there.
Logo Drafts
Final Logo
Brand Folio
All of my projects also include a brand folio which houses all of the information relevant to the company and its brand. From the brand color, logos, fonts, and more.
Collateral
Business cards are a constant in all of my packages, so I tried to bring the color into the card and make it less typical but still just as clean as the design.
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I knew that for a real restaurant the menu was the next item of branding needed. I went super modern and minimal to match the look of the logo. The menu would open like a regular booklet-style menu. Everything is worded and easily read.
Website
I also knew that I didn’t want ST to have a long drawn-out site. I wanted visitors to understand the basics and the necessary information needed when looking up a restaurant. A one-page website was the perfect choice for Sabrina’s Tejano, and it highlighted its story and special features of the restaurant.
