Jaleo
As one of the brainchild restaurants of internationally renown chef José Andrés, Jaleo is much more than your typical Spanish restaurant. It’s a modern take on classical Spanish tapas at this international eatery. Traditional ingredients and preparation get the José Andrés touch as they transform into contemporary Spanish cuisine. Jaleo’s advertising has to represent the restaurant: quirky and innovative, but with a nod to the foods cultural heritage. I ended up creating a custom illustration for each piece of Jaleo advertising. Like Andrés’ signature dish, paella, the illustrations have a little bit of everything in them. It provides context to the ad, and tells the viewer what they can expect when they show up.
When I got the chance to work on Jaleo’s Tomatina Festival and Paella Festival, I jumped at the chance to experiment with the illustration style. The illustration became less of an essence coming from the restaurant, and more of a graphic element that helps tell a story.
These projects have been a great boon for Jaleo. The restaurants are experiencing a surge in customers. Importantly to me, people are starting to recognize a Jaleo advertisement. The patterns and illustrations are beginning to gel as this brand takes a real, cohesive shape.
Overview
Client: Jaleo
Projects Pictured: Tomatina Festival, Paella Festival, Vornado Posters
Role: Graphic designer.