First & Last
This downtown Phoenix gem embodies the spirit of a true neighborhood restaurant. It’s both the every-day spot that locals are always in the mood for… and it’s the cool place that’s top-of-mind to show off to their out-of-town friends.
SERVICES
brand identity design
(logo design by ZiggyDotCom)
custom website design
copywriting & brand voice strategy
menu & print design
THE GOALS
Design a warm, friendly brand that felt refreshing but at home in the new restaurant’s downtown Phoenix location
Make it as easy as possible for guests to find information and interact with the brand online
Create a holistic brand experience that translates consistently across every touch point — both online and in the space
ABOUT THE PROJECT
When Ashley & Robb reached out to me, they were a few months out from the opening of their brand new restaurant. They’d already commissioned a beautiful logo from talented designer ZiggyDotCom, but they still needed help bringing their entire brand to life. They were very clear with their vision — relaxed and breezy West Coast vibes, ingredient-driven (but unpretentious) bites, playful cocktails & wine.
The resulting color palette draws inspiration from the soft pastels and mid-century sensibilities that can be found in Palm Springs or Miami Beach. It's playful, but also cool and collected.
This typography combination is clean, crisp, and a touch playful. A delicate script font is used sparingly to lend a friendly touch, while soft ligatures in the headings blur the line between sophisticated serif and relaxed sans-serif sensibilities.
Their site design reflects their beautiful, bright, plant-filled space, and was strategically designed to cut down friction for new and returning guests. A sticky button encourages reservations. A custom map outlines the best places to park in the tricky downtown location. An events page details everything a prospective group would need to know for booking a private event.
Most importantly, the online menu is effortlessly accessible through multiple buttons and navigation items. It was nonnegotiable to us that the menu be listed directly on the site — not through an annoying PDF that has to be downloaded by guests and constantly re-uploaded by the team after every small update. The online menu was custom-coded so that no stylistic features were sacrificed in the pursuit of functionality.
As much as I love everything about this brand, the copywriting was my favorite piece to create. Ashley and Robb possess refreshing clarity about their brand. They’re looking to be a delicious neighborhood spot that fits any mood. A casual social gathering place, a spot to dress up for a special date, and a bar they can cozy up to with a good book and a great glass of wine — all rolled into one.
They’re not looking to be pigeon-holed as anything specific, and they’re not interested in being competitive — they just want to be a part of the Phoenix community and offer food & drinks that will bring people joy.
And I’m happy to say that they do just that. Since opening in February of 2022, the award-winning restaurant’s site has had 133K visitors (and counting).
What the client had to say
“ We are obsessed with all of the positive results we’ve seen from working with Alana! We get compliments from guests on how well our site represents us. It's been clear that our copywriting helps our guests understand who we are and why we do what we do. We have had guests tell us that ‘our story’ made a strong emotional impact on them and that that is why they chose to dine with us!
We also see how useful our website has been in cutting down on unnecessary calls or emails. The thoughtfulness put into the parking details, menus and events page have all really streamlined information for our guests in a friendly, concise and non-overwhelming way. We have great reservation bookings that come directly through our website, which is a huge positive for us as we get to represent ourselves directly and not through a 3rd party channel. ”
Section Styles portfolio-reviews