Overview
I’ve worked with entrepreneurial brothers Jay and Jordi over at Oatcakes & Milkshakes since 2017. They were two years into their family run business and had laid the foundation for their brand but were ready to tidy up and expand O&M’s look.
Since then my role has been as their design partner and we’ve worked on a lot! From menus and a-frames to welcome screens and websites.
Please note: we are in the middle of a slight refresh in case and work shown spans previous and new.
Together we’ve accomplished:
- A complete brand redesign creating an instantly recognisable look
- Evolved their printed menus to last longer saving materials and cost
- Constant ongoing marketing and brand collateral
- Created COVID safe approaches so the business could continue to trade even during lockdown and acing the council inspection as the best they’ve ever seen with the help of clear and concise printed and digital material
- Ideation, recommendations and bringing the owners own ideas to life
What role have I played in this project? I work directly with the owners and handle all the design you see in this project (and beyond) plus all the print purchasing via my print partner.
logo redesign
I liked the idea behind the Oatcakes & Milkshakes so opted to redesign it instead of running with a completely new look. I made the personification of the Oatcake and Milkshake bold and fun, to resonate with their family, child-friendly audience.
I designed the new logo as a full vector to future-proof it, complete with variations for different applications plus fun animated versions to bring their brand to life on videos. It certainly stands out from all the other generic dessert based businesses you walk past on the High Streets.
child-proof diner menus
Over the years I’ve created a lot of menus for O&M. Main menus, children’s menus, takeaway menus, digital menus, specials menus… Currently they use a single main menu which is stacked with options. It’s like playing Tetris but I get everything in.
Children and menus don’t mix. They obliterate them. So I suggested we print on A3 tear-proof PVC which gave the easy to clean menus a much longer life, saving a fortune in the process. After all, no one likes those petri dish fuzzy edged, damp cardboard menus with the laminate that peels off, do they?
animated screens
O&M has a welcome screen in the entrance and another huge screen within the main area which I create short videos for to highlight welcome patrons, certain specials, help people prep their orders whilst waiting etc.
casual eye-catching uniforms
The O&M team are easy to spot in their branded t-shirts, keeping the relaxed atmosphere and fun feeling but you can clearly see the staff. We opted for the business in the front, party in the back approach.
social creative
Organic static and motion social posts created to highlight their mouthwatering menu items, help control their takeaway and delivery demand, prompt suggestions and notify their followers of offers.
faithful + fun illustrations
I’ve created countless illustrations of their incredible shake line ups over the years. These have been used on the menus, promotional material, social media, clothing, their website and more.
These illustrations are faithful, you will get an entire slice of cake or unicorn head on that shake!
posters… posters… posters!
The premises has several poster placement locations, both inside and outside, from A1 to A4 size so we make sure we fill them!
Here are a few examples. I maximise print budgets and minimum runs by using double sided printing on A4 and A3 posters, meaning the owners can flip the poster as and when needed.
reactive shakes + marketing
Jay and Jordi are always up for some reactive marketing, working off current trends which have gained them worldwide coverage!
Several of the shakes based on pop culture have gone viral over the years, with people traveling far and wide to give them a go! I keep the illustrated feel and the O&M colour scheme whilst working it into the promo for the special shakes.
covid changes to continue business
Whilst we’re several years on from the Pandemic it’s worth mentioning that O&M made huge changes due to the Pandemic. Early on I helped them show their customers the care they’ve taken and continued to adapt throughout.
This enabled them to continue trading through lockdowns by shifting focus on to takeaways and reassuring patrons of safety when the store could be reopened. Many of the changes implemented remain, such as the separation between the booths keep a little more privacy and are an extra surface for fun graphics to bring life to the space. The option for people to order at the till, from their table via QR codes or even at their digital screen.
Posters still feature throughout the diner prompting patrons to queue and inform of food intolerances.
O&M set the bar high within their local community and gained fantastic comments on all their five-star food hygiene inspections.
