Taquería logo

This project was a bit different for me. Not only was I put in charge of designing the identity and branding of this new burrito shop, but I also had to come up with the name! With the help of friends and the Internet, I settled on the name Taquería—pronounced tah-KEH-ree-uh. Thanks to the magic of Google and Wikipedia, I've deduced its meaning to "a shop that sells tacos or burritos". I thought it to be simple, fitting, unique and with enough visual meaning in the word itself to represent a new food franchise.

From the outset there were certain things I knew to be. There would be no tex-mex design influences, no clichéd iconography, proper use of modern typefaces, and all with a hint of youth. Sound weird and completely vague? Yeah, that's pretty much how most of my design projects start. I try to get a feeling for a design before I get to hacking pixels. There are obviously sound design choices behind the brand execution, but it all combines to encompass a mood and idea that has to be communicated within seconds of seeing the logo. I just find it easier for me to reverse engineer that feeling into a workable design.

In this case the feelings that needed to be conveyed were freshness, lightness, quality, and youth, all without alienating the idea of the food itself.

Keep a lookout for Taquería opening up very soon. There are multiple locations planned so hopefully one will be near you!

Folia Grill

I never knew bacon was made out of pork belly. The pork gyros I tried at Folia Grill were made out of the same stuff, pork belly. If my limited deductive skills managed to stay intact despite years of weekend alcohol abuse, then these gyros are pretty much bacon wraps. How do you turn down anything with bacon?

Folia Grill is the newest gyro place in Greek town. They're located at Pape and Cosburn, just a few blocks north from Greek town proper. It's owned and operated by my long time good friends Nick and Eleni, and if I know anyone who's finicky about offering good, hearty food, it's them. They've always fed me well over the years and now everyone who's interested can have a taste. I'm not lying when I say it's the best gyro I've ever had, period.

They had their grand opening this past weekend and gave out the stuff for free. Seriously, free food from Friday to Sunday.

If you missed it then you can always head back to try it out yourself. Did I mention the gyros are ridiculously cheap?