As I see driftwood and reclaimed materials as a form of inspiration, below you can see some images I looked at in order to come up with some possible colours to use:

I have decided to mockup an app for Italian recipes, under the Vignelli Brand. 

For this reason, I wanted to research into existing recipe apps, finding out what works and what doesn't.

Urban Cook - Rayz Ong

I really like how visual this app is, tiled with imagery. One difficulty I can see with it is it's use on a smart phone - it could be too detailed. However, I could definitely see this app working really well on a tablet. 

Mealtime App - Megan Klein

'Mealtime is an app that allows the user to scroll through a field of recipes, add their own recipes, plan their meals, and export a shopping list with ingredients for their meal plan. This app lets you quickly view the essentials about each recipe, save the recipe to 'my recipes' and helps busy people plan their meals and stay healthy.'

This app is beautifully simple, and uses a simple colour scheme. I intend on using the same vibrant red that I have used throughout my brand in my app, so I can see 'mealtime's colour scheme being an inspiration for mine. 

Brooklyn Taco Co - Tag Collective 

http://www.brooklyntaco.com

I really like the simplicity of this website. It has been kept simple, with only 4 links at the top. However, each page has a vast amount of information on each page, when scrolled downwards. I also like the idea of contact information being on the bottom of each page, something I would like to use. 

                                                                                                                                                                    

Marie Catribs - The Forest / Brandon Saterlee

http://mariecatribs.com

This website uses strong and vivid imagery to make the page work in a similar way to a poster. The hand rendered typography gives a friendly feel. I feel the use of imagery is something I could apply to my website, but the use of a much more formal tone. 

                                                                                                                                                                    

 The Canny Man Restaurant & Bar - Toby Fletcher
www.thecannyman.co.uk
 This website uses a simple 2 column grid to allow easy of use. 'Reservations' and ' Opening Times' are always kept on the left column, no matter what page you are on. This is because they are the most vital information. The tone of voice seems to be as formal as my intended website. 

                                                                                                                                                                    

Klub Architektů - Petr Kudlacek

(kept as a concept)

The one thing I like about this website is the strong use of imagery. If possible, I can mockup my website using good photos. Unfortunately, the actual restaurant doesn't exist, making photos harder to find. I may be able to look online, but i'm not sure if I will find anything as suitable as I would like. 

As I wanted my brand to be classic yet timeless, I instantly thought of classic cars. I looked into some classic car logos, and generally classic car design:

It seems that red is a classic car, as it often appears within the logos or around them. I have found that the most successful and 'timeless' logos have been geometric, the best example being the 'MG' logo below: 

I would love to create a logo that is as successful as this, and intend on looking into a hand rendering something geometric. 

As I intend on producing branding for an Italian restaurant, I thought it would be best to research into some existing branding for italian restaurants: 

Zizzi - Tobias Hall

Link to Project

This was a perfect project to study, since the audience for my restaurant is pretty similar. I want my restaurant to be fairly high end, but not quite as exclusive as some restaurants can be. Zizzi's primary audience is mainly young adults, with a secondary audience of families. My audience is similar to Zizzi's primary audience, but you can see that Zizzi is also much more family orientated. 

I like the colour scheme, as it seems to add a certain sophisticated aesthetic. The use of hand rendered type also gives a homely and less corporate feel, something I would like to do with my work. 

                                                                                                                                                                     

Un Poco - Acid & Marble

Link to Project

I love how simple the branding for this restaurant is. The use of lines help split the work up, and I think the use of an embossed stamp adds a level of sophistication. I love the simplicity of the stamp style logo, which can be applied over a variety of products - something I aim for with my restaurant too. 

                                                                                                                                                                    

Bar Italia - Ben Howard 

Link to Project

With this project, I like the strong use of typography to communicate a high end italian restaurant. I also think the subtle addition of foiling creates a look suitable for the audience. 

                                                                                                                                                                    

Tenuta Veneta - Manuel Bortoletti

Link to Project

I love the simplicity of this brand. I like the combination of a classic etching - style illustration with red typography overlay. I also like how the brand is not just apparent over a restaurant, but also some products they could sell. This is a fantastic idea that I would like to show with my restaurant.