Umer.
Skip to main content

Umer Shehbaz

Hire Me
img

Chef platters

Executive Summary

Chef Platters is a contemporary Indian restaurant founded by Chef Akbar Singh, whose 25+ years of culinary expertise have established his reputation across Manchester. The brand celebrates authentic Indian Street and Indo-Chinese cuisine through refined presentation, exceptional hospitality, and memorable dining experiences.

The objective was to craft a comprehensive visual identity system that reflects premium quality and culinary craftsmanship while remaining warm, welcoming, and deeply rooted in cultural authenticity.

Key Objectives

  • The primary goal of this project was to establish a cohesive, modern visual identity for Chef Platters that elevates its market position from a local eatery to a premium dining destination. The objective was twofold: bridge the gap between traditional Indian culinary heritage and contemporary aesthetic standards, while creating a flexible, multi-touchpoint brand system. This meant designing an identity that performs effortlessly across eco-friendly physical packaging, in-restaurant collateral, and digital booking platforms—ensuring a unified, high-end experience for both dine-in guests and takeaway customers.

The Challenge & Market Position

The existing brand needed an identity system capable of standing confidently alongside modern dining establishments while preserving its cultural heritage. The core challenge was to avoid generic Indian restaurant visuals and overused clichés, creating instead a timeless visual language that scales seamlessly across physical menus, eco-conscious packaging, exterior signage, digital platforms, uniforms, and interior spaces.

Market Positioning & Strategy

Research focused on premium Indian restaurants and modern hospitality brands across the UK to identify trends that communicate quality through premium simplicity over decorative complexity.

Chef Platters positions itself as a premium yet approachable dining experience guided by four core brand values:

  1. Authenticity: Honoring traditional Indian recipes and culinary origins.
  2. Culinary Excellence: Celebrating 25+ years of master craftsmanship and quality ingredients.
  3. Family Hospitality: Creating a warm, inviting atmosphere for all guests.
  4. Premium Dining: Elevating every customer touchpoint across dine-in and takeaway services.

The Creative Workflow

Phase 1: Identity & Concept Development

  1. Logo Mark Construction: Built a multi-layered icon representing the balance between tradition and expertise.
  2. Chef Hat: Represents culinary expertise and professionalism.
  3. Moustache: Represents a warm personal touch and authentic hospitality.
  4. Spices / Flavours: Symbolizes rich Indian aromas, steam, and flavor profiles.
  5. Final Mark: A harmonious balance of taste, tradition, and trust featuring the central “CP” monogram.

Phase 2: Visual System & Palette Design

  1. Typography: Combined clean sans-serif typefaces (Montserrat and Poppins) across Regular, Medium, Bold, and ExtraBold weights to achieve clarity, readability, and modern sophistication.
  2. Color Palette: Curated a rich, earthy color palette inspired by natural spices, clay tandoors, and warm hospitality:
    1. Charcoal & Slate: #171716, #545453, #9C9C9B (Structure & Modern Elegance)
    2. Warm Ochre & Gold: #B58851, #C3A37D, #D3C3B0 (Premium Tradition & Quality)
    3. Terracotta & Spice: #9A3F1C, #B07057, #CAAA9E (Warmth & Rich Flavors)

Phase 3: Touchpoint Integration & Execution

  1. Physical Touchpoints: Applied the branding to branded takeaway craft packaging, interior leather-bound menus, single-sheet specialized vegan menus, exterior storefront signage, and staff aprons.
  2. Digital Presence: Developed a responsive web design system showcasing culinary artistry, online reservation systems, menu highlights, customer reviews, and multi-location contact information.

Final Outcome

The rebrand successfully transformed Chef Platters into a modern culinary destination without losing touch with its heritage.

  1. Unified Brand Presence: Established complete visual cohesion across both digital channels and physical dining touchpoints.
  2. Elevated Market Perception: Moved the brand away from typical takeaway tropes into a premium, modern dining space.
  3. Versatile Application: Delivered a flexible design system that performs equally well on sustainable paper bags, outdoor A-frame boards, illuminated storefronts, and desktop/mobile web interfaces.