01. Process
Richy Gorman is a client who obsesses not only on the moisture content of his pizza flour but also the moisture content of the wood he burns in his ovens. His passion for sweating the details extends to the giant 1950’s Hobart dough mixer which I’m reliably assured mixes the best dough.
Richie’s restaurant Lumberjacks produces the highest quality wood fired pizza at a very affordable price point and achieves this by using the very best ingredients but keeping the restaurant fit out costs to a minimum by utilising inexpensive materials such as high density plywood and recycled materials very creatively.
02. Branding
The challenge with Lumberjacks was the create a number of branding elements which reflected the Lumberjack ethos of being well considered but unpretentious. The website should also carry over the style of the restaurants and while being advanced and high performing would have a very homemade and recycled look carried over from the restaurant experience.
02. Desktop Experience
As with many restaurants it is important to design from a mobile first perspective but the desktop version of such a site should be as strong as many customers or potential customers do their research during work hours on desktop computers and increasingly people are using tablet devices as they watch Netflix or other media sources in the evenings.
03. Mobile Solutions
As mentioned earlier it is critical that restaurant websites whether eat in or order online have a fast clear user experience on mobile phones where the restaurant story is well told and use and communication with the restaurant is easily navigated and fast.
04. Other Features
As well as creating all the branding and site elements I also had the opportunity to tell the Lumberjacks story with photography and video. It was decided to tell that story in an earthy honest style rather that a fake happy smiley people look.
Good Story – Honestly told.
Running a restaurant is tough work and requires great dedication. I wanted to reflect the integrity of the Lumberjacks story with almost documentary style photography style of raw photos taken during a long day at Lumberjacks rather than some corporate PR style. The photo of Richy exhausted half way through the evening shift having started at 6am conveys a sense of Lumberjacks integrity and passion for pizza as much as any logo or over styled food studio styled shot.
Texture
So much of the Lumberjack’s experience is texture. The restaurant fit out is based on high density plywoods of various types, recycled woods and galvanised and corrugated steel. It was important to me that these textures would carry over to the website.
