New Work: Texas Jack's Wall Installation
THE PROJECT
When I first moved to Virginia, I worked for a local design firm (ADG) for about a year, and one of the first projects I did with them was branding for Texas Jack's Barbecue, a new restaurant in Arlington, VA. The team at ADG did it all - interior design, architectural updates, and branding. My Creative Director and I spent months working together on brand development, as well as work closely alongside the interiors team to create an atmosphere that was cohesive and beautiful with a few little surprising details along the way.
THE BRANDING
As far as branding, we covered everything - logo, tagline, website, stationery, signage, menus, stickers, carryout bags, coasters, wall installations, table tents, and more - and I have to say, this was one of the most challenging, fun, and rewarding projects I've ever been a part of. I felt like a bit of an amateur, working on a project of this scale and with so much impact, but I learned so much about the branding process, client relationships, processes for maintaining a lot of moving parts at any given time, working with numerous vendors, ordering large scale art, site visits, pushing my brain beyond its creative limits, and so much more.
HARD WORK IS SO REWARDING
Walking into the restaurant for the first time after the grand opening was like walking into a dream. So many months of planning, designing, mockups, ideas, brainstorming, CAD drawings, architectural maps, proofs... and then getting to see all the pieces come together to form one beautiful masterpiece was incredible. One of the girls I worked with described it as like being a part of making movie or developing a set for a play, and then showing up on opening night and getting to witness it come to life in all it's glory for the most beautiful performance. Couldn't have said it better myself.
We ended the project with a night out at Texas Jack's together, where we ate a delicious barbecue feast (compliments of our amazing and gracious boss who ordered every - yes EVERY - single item on the menu, just so we could try it all) and celebrated the night away. Go team!
HAND-LETTERED WALL INSTALLATION
So, one of my favorite pieces I got to design was a large-scale hand lettered wall installation featuring quirky quotes about meat, barbecue, and whiskey. We searched high and low to source the best (and legal) quotes and phrases to include on the wall, and I am just amazed how it turned out. There are all kinds of imperfections and unclean lines and mishaps in lettering shapes, but nonetheless, I like it and am so proud to have had the privilege of making my mark (literally) on Northern Virginia.
Fun fact: this wall was recently given a 2017 ADDY® Silver Award Winner for Installation Design!
Thanks to my amazing and talented friend and photographer, Anne Kim, I now have beautiful professional photos of the wall, and I'm excited to share them with you here. And thanks to ADG for the opportunity to work for such an amazing firm on an incredible project (and for letting me use this in my portfolio!).
*Also, make sure to check out the entire branding project on Design ADG's site.*
Digital rendering - click to enlarge.
