Verōnika by Fotografiska
My first project with CultureWorks was producing a multitude of collateral as well as consulting on numerous other aspects of Verōnika - a luxe dining experience set in one of the most stunning spaces of New York City. I was tapped to design assets from dining menus to custom engraved lighters and high touch VIP membership experiences, spanning the physical and digital worlds.
Hidden within Fotografiska New York, Verōnika is a place for late-night conversations, moments over a shared meal, and serendipitous encounters. Designed by Roman and Williams, Veronika offers two distinct experiences: Bar Verōnika and the Restaurant. Velvet furniture and ornate chandeliers glow in the light of burning candles. World-class photography adorns the walls.
A cornerstone design for the project was the menu portfolio. A rough concept was in place upon me joining the team and I had to hit the ground running to have it refined in time for launch. Working with local printers to select custom paper qualities and construction techniques, the menu quickly became a focal point of the guests’ experiences.
The team had been working with a creative agency which had laid a lot of the visual groundwork for the brand. But upon my hire, I took a lot of that work in house and reshaped it to fit my collaborators and my own visions for the brand and experience.
A pen, a card, and a message - seemingly simple pieces, but have proven incredibly important in operating the space. I developed a messaging system for the restaurant to communicate with guests on current goings on as well as upcoming events. While using a different printer than our menu producer, brand standards are kept consistent through a hand selected paper quality. Golden bullet pens are distributed to guests for a bill signature, finely and subtly engraved with the Verōnika wordmark.
One of the first hurdles to overcome with the menu design was a problem no one seemed to be able to solve, but ended up being quite simple. The way the menu construction was done didn’t showcase the work of Ellen von Unwerth in the way we wanted - when closed, the male subject was the first thing you saw when it was placed in front of you. I spoke with Ellen’s team about mirroring the photo and she graciously agreed. Problem solved.
Another fun touchpoint of the experience were these small lipstick lighters that were sourced from Japan. I engaged a local laser engraver to etch the Verōnika logo into the side. Restaurant guests would receive these at the maître d’s discretion.
To sell museum memberships in a sexy way that was inline with the luxe experience of the restaurant, I concepted, designed, and produced a two part piece of collateral that could be passed out to VIP guests. Inside of a sleek black envelope would be a thick card with the Ellen photo we used on the menu. Embedded in the card was a steel chip, powder coated black, and engraved with the museum logo on one side and QR code on the reverse.
The QR code could be scanned by the receiving guest - prompting their phone to open a pre-composed email to our guest services team. This email would fast track them to become a member, allowing them to join on the spot and begin receiving benefits immediately.
In addition to the social media work for Verōnika - I also developed other digital solutions such as the reservation making experience. Rather than work through a third party, we commissioned a custom widget built from the ground up and tailored to the brand experience.