Calle Nueva, Cuban Cuisine & Cigar Lounge - Briannie Matos
Calle Nueva is a Cuban Cuisine & Cigar Lounge. Our objective was to brand an entire restaurant based on one theme. My theme was Cuban foods and/or a cigar lounge and I wanted to tackle both.
Our logo
For Calle Nueva, I wanted to stick to a very classic Cuban theme with the typefaces and colors. The name Calle Nueva stands for new road in Spanish. A very popular dish in Cuba is ropa vieja and at first, I came up with Calle Viejo, meaning old road but since I also wanted to go for this more modern look of Cuba, I went with Calle Nueva.
The flower in the center represents a palm relief Cuban pattern. I made some alterations to the pattern and added some detail for it to coincide with my type. For the typeface, I wanted to go for something more Cuban feel, and I found Acier BAT. The choice of color came from Cuba itself. It is very warm and has a very vintage style so I thought this rustic orange, yellow, and brown would work out perfectly.
Competitor
Our two top main competitors are the famous Cuba Libre and Home Cuban Cafe considering we are located in Chestnut Hill, Philadelphia. Cuba Libre has a very vintage theme. Their interior is based around the town of Havana and has a very rustic feel to it. This restaurant is located in downtown Philadelphia. They host nightlife & shows where the restaurant turns into a club. They serve brunch and dinner and they also have a nice branding platform. Their website is in the theme of an old Cuban passport and it has easy user access.
Home Cuban Cafe is the very opposite of Cuba Libre. They are very much cafe-like and really give more time to their menu items rather than branding and trying to be a big restaurant. They called it a “less ostentatious version of Cuba Libre”. They are located right down the street from Cuba Libre and do not have a website or any huge branding.
At Calle Nueva, we take giving an authentic Cuban experience both seriously within the experience itself and the food we serve. We also give a big part of Cuba to our customers through cigars and music.
Personas
Richard Potella - a 67-year-old man who loves to smoke a cigar and enjoy some Cuban cuisine. He began collecting Cigars at the age of 25 right around the time he began traveling the world. He finally decided to settle down in Chestnut Hill and now he’s looking for a place like Calle Nueva to spend some of his free time at.
Katie Murch - a 28-year-old mother of two children. She recently moved to Philadelphia because of a new job her husband took on. Every month, she and her family go out to eat but are looking for something different and somewhere that her children would love. They both love music and this family loves Latin cuisine as a whole. Calle Nueva has live music where the kids will be entertained while eating amazing food.
Final Product
Overall, Calle Nueva turned out to be a great representation of Cuban foods and a cigar lounge. It gives a warm welcome to both the Cuban community and many other cultures.
