RETROBITES

INDUSTRY: Restaurant / Hospitality

SERVICES: Brand Identity, Menu Design, Illustration, Print Design

YEAR: 2024

RETRO · PLAYFUL · NOSTALGIC · BOLD · ACCESSIBLE

ABOUT THE PROJECT

RetroBites is a restaurant brand inspired by the nostalgia of movies, television, music, and gaming. Developed as my BFA capstone project, the identity brings retro entertainment influences into a playful dining experience through bold graphics, nostalgic references, and interactive details.

The project includes a complete visual identity and two printed menu experiences—a food and drink menu and an interactive kids menu—designed to create a cohesive experience for both adults and younger guests.

BEHIND THE DESIGN

The visual direction combines retro-inspired graphics with familiar entertainment references to give RetroBites a playful personality. Custom patterns, icons, typography, and illustrations create a consistent visual language across the identity and menu system. The design balances that personality with clear organization and readability, allowing the menus to feel visually engaging without making the information difficult to navigate.

Illustration of a person's profile with retro electronic devices, including a cassette tape, film reel, vintage television, and game controller, alongside the bold text 'RETRO BITS'.
Colorful logo for 'Reborning' with stylized gaming and tech icons, including game controllers, a cassette tape, a speaker, a TV, and a film strip, arranged in a circular design.
Retro Bites logo featuring a circular design with icons of cassette tape, film strip, vintage television, and game controller above the words 'RETRO BITES' in bold black textured font.
Logo Processes
Text image with large bold letters stating 'BALLORE GRAYSON' and smaller text below saying 'Source Serif Variable'.
Flyer for Retro Bites, offering comfort food and drinks all day from 9 am to 8 pm, featuring a pixel art graphic of a bowl of food with retro gaming icons.
A menu of comfort drinks and snacks with soda cans, beer, wine, and shakes listed, including prices.
Comfort food and holiday specials menu with sections for main dishes, sides, and sweets, listing various dishes and prices.
Colorful kid's activity sheet with a maze, a spot-the-difference game featuring SpongeBob, and a countdown clock, titled 'Kid's Menu'.

Accessibility

Accessibility was considered throughout the menu system through clear typographic hierarchy, readable text, consistent organization, visual contrast, and recognizable sections. These decisions help make the information easier to navigate while preserving RetroBites' playful visual personality.

Restaurant menu on a smartphone screen with sections for year-long specials, comfort food, kids menu, sides, and various items including smashed potatoes, Brussels sprouts, roasted carrots, garden salad, and fries.
Menu titled 'Retro Bites' featuring different food items with prices, including 'The Grinch' roast pats, 'The Friends' moist-maker sandwich, 'The Fencingswing' platter, 'The Elf Spaghetti and Meatballs', and more, all with playful graphics and pink accents.
Retrobites menu on a smartphone screen with sections for key, all year long specials, comfort food, kids menu, sides, sweets, comfort drinks, and icons of foods like tree nuts, pepper, soy beans, fish, shellfish, and meat.
Mobile menu screen displaying various food and drink options, including specials, comfort food, kids menu, sides, sweets, and beverage options with colorful text and icons.
Retro television displaying a digital menu for "Retro Bites" restaurant with sections for comfort food, kids menu, sides, and daily specials, showing images of dishes like fried chicken, ribs, and a burger.
Bar with a silhouette of a person, colorful bar stools, and shelves with liquor bottles. T-shirts with a retro logo are on display behind the bar, and various drinks are on the counter.
An arcade lounge with pastel-colored booths, computers, and a large window made of colored glass panes, with a person standing near the center. The wall features a sign that reads "RETROBITES" and the floor has a patterned carpet with cassette tapes.
Poster advertising RetroBites, a collection of nostalgic TV shows and characters, featuring vintage TVs with images from cartoon and sitcom classics, and the text 'Experience iconic flavors from the retro world! Opening soon summer of 2024!'
Poster for Retro Bites featuring colorful retro gaming chairs, CRT monitors, and a mosaic-style floor. The top has a sign saying "Experience Iconic Flavors from the Retro World!" and at the bottom, it states "Opening Soon This Summer 2024" with the Retro Bites logo and a QR code.
White T-shirt hanging on a hanger with a colorful tech-inspired design on the chest shaped like a Partial Apple logo.
Illustration of a human head silhouette filled with different vintage electronic devices.
A tall, clear beer glass filled with pale yellow beer and a frothy white head, featuring a Retro Bites logo on the front.
A circular logo with the words "RETRO BITES" underneath a graphic combining icons of a cassette tape, game controller, and VHS tape, all in a retro style.
White coffee mug with black text that says 'Retro Bites' and a colorful graphic of a game controller and handheld device.
Open square container with a pattern of small, colorful icons on the left; gaming or tech app icons, including a controller, headphones, and a console, inside a black circle on the right.
Capstone Process
Capstone Research

Final statement

RetroBites brings branding, illustration, typography, and information design together to create a cohesive restaurant experience. The final system transforms nostalgic entertainment references into a playful visual identity while keeping the menus organized, readable, and engaging for different audiences.