Elmwood creates brand for new chicken restaurant Reys
New chicken restaurant Reys has launched in the UK with both the brand and name created by global brand design consultacy Elmwood.
Positioned at the higher end of the casual dining sector, Reys, short for the French word for fox ‘Reynard’, is inspired by traditional French rotisserie chicken – a method of cooking that keeps the birds succulent and flavoursome.
Elmwood was asked to develop the name and brand identity and push this across a wide spectrum of touch points including the website, menus and signage.
The creative was founded on the insight that Britons eat their way through 25m chickens every week and also another creature's that loves for the meat – the fox.
While all aspects of Elmwood’s thinking was inspired by the idea of a fox, the character references are understated throughout the creative execution. For example Reys’ tail appears subtly within the brand marque, with the agency calling the fox an 'enigma' that customers can spot around the restaurant, across various touch-points.
Nick Hynes, head of verbal identity at Elmwood said of the work: “Just as important as the logo, typeface and colour palette, is the way Reys addresses its customers through the written word. This is a crucial component in distinguishing the new brand. We put in place practical guidelines to help Reys achieve an engaging and witty tone of voice – from the message customers see when they book a table, right through to flagging when specific sauces are out of stock.”
Elmwood also delivered a specific tone of voice piece, creating a personality for all brand communication.