Winners profiles 2024
Posters are usually just one part of communicative strategies, but here they are the fundamental element. As a restaurant partner, Beetroot not only used the poster medium as a name-giver; moreover, with each edition, it has a mural grow on the premises of the POSTER restaurant. The variable graphic concept is held together by common typographic and illustrative components, thus ensuring great creative freedom, yet maintaining the coherence of the motifs at the same time.
Interview with BEETROOT DESIGN GROUP
Red Dot: The poster medium is rather unusual for a restaurant – but when the restaurant is called POSTER, the connection is almost pre-programmed. Was that the reason for you to realise posters as a means of communication?
BEETROOT DESIGN GROUP: Rather the opposite: the concept behind the restaurant’s name anticipated the use of posters. This allowed us to work with a medium that offers a lot of flexibility and space for creative experimentation. The posters were also chosen for their decorative and communicative value. Each new design finds its place on the wall of the restaurant, gradually creating a unique and colourful mural.
How would you describe the spirit of the restaurant?
From the start, the restaurant has been guided by a very clear vision: a shared experience of fine dining in a casual setting. The menu reflects the chef’s influences, with an emphasis on how communal meals bring people together and share much more than just food. The slogan we developed, “wine food people good”, succinctly encapsulates this spirit. This clear vision allowed us to quickly develop a visual language.
How much creative freedom did you have in this project?
We were part of the team that established the restaurant, so we were closely involved in every stage right from the start. On the one hand, this meant that we had a say in all decisions, especially involving design and visual communication, which translates into considerable creative leeway. On the other hand, this freedom poses its own challenges. You need to set the parameters of your approach, otherwise it can become chaotic and aimless.
How difficult was it to introduce a new approach to the more traditional aerospace industry?
Posters are undoubtedly an extremely versatile medium. Although they also work well digitally, posters in printed form retain a certain “old-school” charm. As one of the few marketing communication tools that appear in physical form in communal spaces, they constitute shared experiences for the public. Posters exist on the borderline between artwork and advertising. Increasingly, people are investing in and collecting posters, just as they do with other art forms. People appreciate posters for their aesthetic value, not just their message, and this builds emotional engagement.