Menu for a bar and restaurant

Illustration and design by John Potter - Escape Key Graphics

Menu Design
I designed the menus for Fox & Iguana as part of a broader branding project, bringing together illustration, typography, and playful storytelling to reflect the restaurant’s unique identity. The menus integrate original illustrations, custom type treatments, and color schemes inspired by the whimsical, slightly surreal aesthetic established for the brand. The goal was to create a visually engaging menu that reinforces the restaurant’s personality while guiding guests seamlessly through their dining experience.

The branding project began earlier with illustrations for custom coasters. Boca Grove commissioned me to create a graphite illustration featuring an anthropomorphized iguana wearing a top hat and monocle, holding a glass of absinthe, with a praying mantis perched on the rim. This illustration captured the playful, imaginative spirit the client wanted to convey.

Following the success of the iguana, I created a companion piece featuring a fox wearing a bowler hat and pipe, interacting with a brandy snifter and accompanied by a spider and a bee. These illustrations inspired the restaurant’s name, Fox & Iguana, and became central to the brand’s visual identity.

Building on these characters, I developed a T-shirt design for staff. Using custom linear halftones, I created a wave-like black-and-white illustration framed in vibrant orange, incorporating the restaurant name and bee motif against a deep blue background. I also produced an animated version of the illustrations to serve as an augmented reality feature for the shirts, merging traditional illustration with modern digital interaction.

This project was a rare opportunity to blend illustration, branding, and practical design for a real-world business. From menus to merchandise, each element was carefully crafted to enhance the guest experience while reinforcing the playful, upmarket, and imaginative identity of Fox & Iguana.

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