Mr. R
A restaurant identity that offers a fresh take on old favorites.
Pasta Beach restaurant group approached Newfound to develop an identity for Mr. R, their new restaurant concept. The premise was fast-casual street food with a refined twist, and the identity we developed for Mr. R combined playful elements with classic design references for a modern play on a vintage look. With a menu that was going to feature many experimental flavor and texture combinations, the identity needed to embody the restaurant’s playful approach to cuisine.
Sebastian Calvo
Creative Director
Billy DeNatale
Creative Director, Design Lead
Aman Sharma
Web Development
Tandem RI
Photo & Video
The identity takes inspiration from Fortunato Depero and his Italian Futurist contemporaries.
Although the restaurant highlights several cuisines, it remains rooted in the classic Italian cooking principles featured at its sister restaurants. Our process explored the rich history of design in Italy, ultimately taking inspiration from Fortunato Depero’s iconic campaign for Campari, as well as the work of his contemporaries in the Italian Futurist movement of the early 20th century. The identity takes cues from the bold, angular forms of Depero’s compositions to convey a sense of movement and energy that reflects the energetic personality of the restaurant.
The playful Mr. R character serves as an anchor for the entire brand.
This inspiration is most evident in the expressive character Newfound developed as a central element of the identity. Named after Pasta Beach’s founder, Mr. R adds liveliness and a sense of joy to the brand. The Mr. R wordmark pays homage to the geometric hand drawn lettering Depero used throughout his work. The team iterated, refined, and tightened the mark to create a compact primary identifier for the restaurant.
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The menu was designed around a unique ordering experience that encourages collaboration and conversation.
With a focus on a casual, meal-with-friends, kicking-off-a-night-out atmosphere, Newfound worked with the Pasta Beach team to develop a concept for the customer experience centered around an interactive ordering process. Much like the carefree memory of scribbling on a placemat with crayons as a kid, patrons stamp their orders onto the menu in a collaborative interaction that encourages playfulness and individuality.
