Mia Krysa

Tag: travel

  • The Courthouse Bar & Grille: A Much-Needed Refresh for a Community Staple

    Photo by Lisa from Pexels on Pexels.com

    For my visual design class this semester, we were tasked with rebranding a local business that we felt needed help. I chose The Courthouse Bar & Grille because after over 20 years in the business, they’re due for an upgrade.

    A Bit about The CBG

    The Courthouse Bar & Grille is located in downtown Putnam, Connecticut. Putnam is a growing community known for its restaurants, antique shops, and small-town feel. As Putnam continues to modernize itself, The Courthouse remains the same. It would benefit from a rebrand, where it can redefine its importance in the community and stay relevant with up-and-coming competition.

    The Courthouse has been a family-owned establishment since 1998. The story and brand are inspired by a traditional courthouse, as the building used to serve as one in the 1800s. More information on it’s history can be found on the “CBG Story” page of the website.

    The Courthouse customer demographics consist of both locals and out-of-towners. They offer in-house dining and takeout. They accommodate small parties and offer intimate bar seating, as well as dining room seating to hold large or private parties. It’s rated 4.3/5 stars on Google.

    Price range: $$-$$$ | Customers can expect to spend $20-$30 per person.

    A few The Courthouse’s competitors are:

    Menu & Atmosphere

    The Courthouse’s menu ranges from pasta to steaks, burgers, seafood, and sandwiches. While the variety is appreciated, it lacks a clear culinary direction. The restaurant prides itself on having a family-friendly atmosphere, so the offerings make sense. Their goal is to accommodate families and offer something for everyone. However, it would still benefit from refining and removing some items. The Courthouse also offers cocktails, 16 rotating beers on tap, and wine.

    The Courthouse is in need of a refresh. Its atmosphere and overall presentation feel outdated and lack a modern, inviting touch. With new restaurants and shops constantly emerging, it’s essential for The Courthouse to evolve to remain relevant. While drawing inspiration from its namesake makes sense, there’s an opportunity to reimagine it in a more chic and refined way, blending its signature charm with a contemporary edge. With new decor, some fresh paint, and redefining their target audience, The Courthouse will be on it’s way to becoming the best restaurant in Putnam.

    Social Media Presence

    Since social media and online presence are at the forefront of marketing and sharing brands, there will also be an emphasis on rebranding The Courthouse’s website and social media channels.

    Their website seems to be the most up-to-date, with high-quality photos and a clean UX. Their social media, on the other hand, doesn’t share any photos of food or cocktails and feels outdated and out of touch. They would also benefit from changing their @ on Instagram. I’m local to this side of Connecticut, and their profile did not pop up with related searches. I had to find their Instagram @ on the website and then search for it on the app. Additionally, their Facebook and Instagram icons on the website don’t work as hyperlinks.

    The Redesign

    With The Courthouse’s redesign, I wanted to focus on updating the restaurant so that it felt fresh and modern, while still honoring it’s history. This included an update to their verbal brand, values, and tone of voice. I also redesigned their logo, which includes a gavel, an ode to the history of the name and the building.

    New Logo Design

    The logo comes in multiple colorways, to be used on light and dark backgrounds. The typefaces and colors were chosen with lots of thought in mind, as I wanted to honor the history of the brand, while incorporating variety for legibility design purposes. The chosen fonts would be used not only in the logo pictured above, but also throughout the website, posters, designs, and even the menu and business cards. The goal is to remain consistent throughout each medium, so that The CBG is easily recognizable and shows it’s character to anyone who comes across the brand.

    As far as the colorways, I wanted to use dark but modern colors, like a dark navy, with cream and gold accents. Leaning into the darkness of the navy and using cream for things like curtains, pillows, and backgrounds, while using the gold for hardware, would give the restaurant a classy and updated feel. I wanted to lean into the darkness of the building as well, as the restaurant itself doesn’t have many windows.

    Even though the website was the most up-to-date throughout the entire brand, I still redesigned it and incorporated a few different things that might make the landing page more inviting and encourage phone calls and reservations. A fun element to make was also a newsletter, which could be sent out monthly or even quarterly, and inspire community throughout Putnam, CT and beyond.

    If you’re interested in taking a look at my re-design, the slide deck is attached below.

    The Courthouse Rebrand FINAL (1)Download

  • Rebranding The Courthouse: A Fresh Look for a Local Favorite

    Photo by cottonbro studio on Pexels.com

    When you take the time to think about it, there are probably lots of brands you can think of that would benefit from a re-brand, or update to their brand identity. Some brands are timeless, which of course is the goal, but there are other brands and companies that weren’t necessarily thinking about longevity in the infancy of their companies.

    This week, I was taking some time to think about brands that I come into contact with often. I’m a frequent restaurant-goer, and live in a very small part of Connecticut. It’s full of locals, and some of the brands and companies that I see or visit often, have probably never thought about branding to a wider audience. Until now, there wasn’t ever a need. With social media at the forefront of just about everything, it’s important that companies and brands are continuing to stay up-to-date with trends, while also having an active social media presence. When it came down to it, after thinking about all of the small and medium local businesses near me, I thought the one that would most benefit from a re-brand is a restaurant called The Courthouse.

    The Courthouse has been around for 20+ years, and it shows. While the food is pretty good, the menu is extremely large and lacks direction. The building is a beautiful historic “block” (it used to be referred to as the courthouse block, because it actually was a courthouse in the 1800s), built with bricks and large storefront windows. The restaurant itself doesn’t get a lot of light inside, but I think they could use this to their advantage (more on that later). The ceilings are high and there’s lots of wood, but it’s stained orange, and the decor is extremely lacking. Even the TVs inside look like they’re from 2010.

    I’m not here to shame The Courthouse, but instead propose how it could be rebranded to feel a bit more upscale, remain a local favorite with families, and stay relevant in the ongoing restaurant competition in downtown Putnam, Connecticut.

    Logos and Why They’re Relevant

    Logos are everything. They’re the face of a brand. They should encompass details of the brand and be recognizable. One of my favorite logo designs is one that everyone knows.

    Source: FedEx

    “The much-lauded logo is not only extremely simple in appearance but has a very nifty design trick under its belt: using negative space to form an arrow between the “E” and “x.” This arrow conveys speed, a firm sense of direction and a delivery service so smooth and fuss-free that you barely notice it’s happened.”

    Genius, if you ask me.

    The Courthouse’s Logo Refresh

    Let’s start with The Courthouse’s current logo. It’s clear and bold, which makes it feel traditional. The black, while also bold, feels a bit heavy. The justice scales are great for a courthouse theme, but even those feel outdated and “blocky”.

    With a new logo, I wanted to convey the same courthouse theme, but make it feel a little more chic and upscale. If the restaurant is going to be updated, the logo should feel that way too. The justice scale has a more vintage feel, with lots of detail. I kept “The Courthouse” in all lowercase, to make the restaurant still feel casual, but mixed with the calligraphy typeface, feels a little fancier at the same time. I stuck with black and white for the first logo mock-up, but also think dark navy, which is included in the color palette rebrand, could be the primary color used for the logo.

    Moving Forward

    I’m extremely excited to continue documenting this restaurant rebrand, especially because it’s a local business. With an updated brand and more refined feel, the Courthouse is on it’s way to becoming the best restaurant in Putnam.