Platillos
Strong and consistent branding was required to give this new restaurant concept the potential to expand beyond a single outlet into a national chain
Malcolm Schooling is co-founder of People in Space, an innovative and award-winning architectural practice based in Sheffield and London which since its launch in the mid-1990s has developed numerous commercial interiors including restaurants, clubs, shops and offices.
Five years ago Schooling and business partner Craig Smith opened their first bar and restaurant, The Wig & Pen, in Sheffield's historic Paradise Square and Cathedral Quarter.
Two years ago the pair opened Platillos, a contemporary tapas bar and restaurant. Unlike Wig & Pen the Platillos concept was conceived to be rolled out as a chain. Two years on Schooling and Smith are now seeking their second Platillos site.
Problem
The Platillos 'concept' was innovative - a contemporary, city centre bar and restaurant specialising in global food rather than the customary Spanish tapas, or 'little plates'. But to sustain not just a single site but an entire chain, a strong brand was required.
Ahead of launch, Schooling needed external help to ensure branding was consistently embedded throughout the business - across every aspect of the restaurant's interior and marketing and communications materials, including online.
‘As operators of bars and restaurants we are acutely aware of the importance of proper and thorough design. A cohesive approach to brand identity is as important as a bar or restaurant’s interior and exterior,’ Schooling explains.
‘This is especially true when it comes to developing what we hope will be a popular and successful chain where the ease with which a consistent identity and style can be replicated across other sites is also key.’
Another objective was to convey through design the look and feel of an established business from the restaurant's opening day.
Response
In March 2007, Schooling turned to Designing Demand for design support.
‘We already knew the designers we wanted to work with to develop the brand identity, Sheffield-based design company Peter & Paul, but the support and funding available enabled us to develop the brand identity far more deeply than would otherwise have been possible,’ he explains.
Lesley Gulliver, the Design Associate allocated to the business, took Schooling and Smith through the Designing Demand Generate process to help them hone their thinking for the full strategic branding project on which they were about to embark.
Though she had no input in the selection or briefing of the agency, Gulliver worked closely with Schooling and Smith to break down a large branding project into manageable pieces. She also established clear milestones for the design development process to keep both the management and design teams focused and on track.
The modern, contemporary style of the restaurant's interior was inspired by the launch site's central location and unique architecture - it is housed in a Grade 2-listed former Victorian school and has a cavernous bar and contemporary, red brick decor. A key element is the balance between modern finishes and the classic proportions and elegance of the historical space.
The blending of the old and the new was essential to ensure Platillos' appeal to a broad audience - young, twentysomething urbanites and an older, more mainstream clientele, says Schooling. And the brand identity Peter & Paul were briefed to produce also had to acknowledge both.
The result is a simple yet striking identity easily applicable across a range of materials - from plates and menus through staff uniforms and interiors to marketing materials, online and business cards.
Straplines such as 'little plates big flavours' and 'share what you love' were conceived to convey the tapas dining experience. The designers also established a distinctive visual style for photos of the interior and devised a tone of voice for communications designed to convey Platillos' easy-going ethos.
‘It’s a British interpretation of a modern, Barcelona-style tapas bar - the antithesis to the faux Spanish style that still dominates in many UK-based Spanish bars and restaurants,’ says Schooling.
Impact
The first Platillos restaurant opened in July 2007 to critical acclaim. Since then revenue has grown despite the recession, exceeding initial expectations by between 15-20%.
Peter & Paul's close involvement has continued through the development of live events such as themed food and drinks evenings and live music and dance nights to evolve the Platillos brand experience. Meanwhile Schooling and Smith are now looking for their second site to develop.
‘Ultimately, Designing Demand brought a much more thorough approach to how Platillos evolved from concept to brand and how, in turn, that brand was communicated to the public,’ Schooling says. ‘Although the process didn't change the value we place on design, it certainly helped us to achieve a far deeper and more cohesive design solution than we might otherwise have achieved.’
Punctuating the project with regular meetings, meanwhile, helped make the development of the brand identity a relatively smooth process. Breaking it down into measurable chunks encouraged the team towards a more structured approach to the design, says Page.
‘Platillos encompasses everything from the restaurant's brand identity, interior design, food and people through to its communications,’ she adds. ‘It's a great idea which has achieved a great outcome with great design lying at the heart of the whole experience.’
A key objective for the business was to establish a restaurant with a clear and credible brand identity capable of competing in the national marketplace, says Schooling: ‘We have achieved that in a substantial way. Customer feedback is very positive and sales are significantly above initial expectations.’
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