River Restaurant
Repositioning River as London’s go-to all-day seafood dining destination
BRAND IDENTITY
River Restaurant sits within The Savoy, one of London’s most iconic hotel settings, but the brand needed to stand more confidently as a restaurant in its own right. The ambition was to reposition River as London’s go-to all-day seafood restaurant: chic, vibrant, and relaxed, with a stronger focus on quality produce, seasonality, and the changing rhythm of the day.
I developed The Modern Wave, a refreshed brand direction designed to move River away from predictable Art Deco hotel luxury and towards something lighter, fresher, and more expressive.
River Restaurant
Repositioning River as London’s go-to all-day seafood dining destination
BRAND IDENTITY
River Restaurant sits within The Savoy, one of London’s most iconic hotel settings, but the brand needed to stand more confidently as a restaurant in its own right. The ambition was to reposition River as London’s go-to all-day seafood restaurant: chic, vibrant, and relaxed, with a stronger focus on quality produce, seasonality, and the changing rhythm of the day.
I developed The Modern Wave, a refreshed brand direction designed to move River away from predictable Art Deco hotel luxury and towards something lighter, fresher, and more expressive.
River Restaurant
Repositioning River as London’s go-to all-day seafood dining destination
BRAND IDENTITY
River Restaurant sits within The Savoy, one of London’s most iconic hotel settings, but the brand needed to stand more confidently as a restaurant in its own right. The ambition was to reposition River as London’s go-to all-day seafood restaurant: chic, vibrant, and relaxed, with a stronger focus on quality produce, seasonality, and the changing rhythm of the day.
I developed The Modern Wave, a refreshed brand direction designed to move River away from predictable Art Deco hotel luxury and towards something lighter, fresher, and more expressive.
CHALLENGE
River had an incredible setting, but its identity was too closely tied to the wider visual language of The Savoy. The challenge was to create a brand direction that could feel elegant enough for its location, while giving the restaurant more warmth, energy, and personality of its own.
It also needed to support a broader all-day offer, from breakfast and coffee through to lunch, dinner, and evening drinks, without feeling like separate parts of the same experience.
CHALLENGE
River had an incredible setting, but its identity was too closely tied to the wider visual language of The Savoy. The challenge was to create a brand direction that could feel elegant enough for its location, while giving the restaurant more warmth, energy, and personality of its own.
It also needed to support a broader all-day offer, from breakfast and coffee through to lunch, dinner, and evening drinks, without feeling like separate parts of the same experience.
CHALLENGE
River had an incredible setting, but its identity was too closely tied to the wider visual language of The Savoy. The challenge was to create a brand direction that could feel elegant enough for its location, while giving the restaurant more warmth, energy, and personality of its own.
It also needed to support a broader all-day offer, from breakfast and coffee through to lunch, dinner, and evening drinks, without feeling like separate parts of the same experience.
CREATIVE IDEA
The Modern Wave was built around the idea of new school seafood in an old school location. Inspired by water, reflection, light, and the changing pace of the restaurant throughout the day, the direction introduced a more fluid and contemporary expression while still respecting the craft and heritage of the setting.
CREATIVE IDEA
The Modern Wave was built around the idea of new school seafood in an old school location. Inspired by water, reflection, light, and the changing pace of the restaurant throughout the day, the direction introduced a more fluid and contemporary expression while still respecting the craft and heritage of the setting.
CREATIVE IDEA
The Modern Wave was built around the idea of new school seafood in an old school location. Inspired by water, reflection, light, and the changing pace of the restaurant throughout the day, the direction introduced a more fluid and contemporary expression while still respecting the craft and heritage of the setting.
DESIGN APPROACH
The design approach combined expressive serif typography, a simple humanist sans, a richer palette inspired by water and light, and abstract painted textures drawn from waves and reflection. Single-line illustration, natural materials, cinematic photography, and subtle motion helped create an identity that felt premium, but less formal, with more warmth, flow, and character.
DESIGN APPROACH
The design approach combined expressive serif typography, a simple humanist sans, a richer palette inspired by water and light, and abstract painted textures drawn from waves and reflection. Single-line illustration, natural materials, cinematic photography, and subtle motion helped create an identity that felt premium, but less formal, with more warmth, flow, and character.
DESIGN APPROACH
The design approach combined expressive serif typography, a simple humanist sans, a richer palette inspired by water and light, and abstract painted textures drawn from waves and reflection. Single-line illustration, natural materials, cinematic photography, and subtle motion helped create an identity that felt premium, but less formal, with more warmth, flow, and character.
DIRECTION
The work defined a stronger direction for the next stage of River, helping position it as a more confident, modern, all-day seafood restaurant within The Savoy.
By moving away from familiar hotel luxury cues and leaning into light, movement, seasonality, and seafood, the direction gave River a clearer identity without losing the elegance of its setting.
DIRECTION
The work defined a stronger direction for the next stage of River, helping position it as a more confident, modern, all-day seafood restaurant within The Savoy.
By moving away from familiar hotel luxury cues and leaning into light, movement, seasonality, and seafood, the direction gave River a clearer identity without losing the elegance of its setting.
DIRECTION
The work defined a stronger direction for the next stage of River, helping position it as a more confident, modern, all-day seafood restaurant within The Savoy.
By moving away from familiar hotel luxury cues and leaning into light, movement, seasonality, and seafood, the direction gave River a clearer identity without losing the elegance of its setting.
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