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Case Study
ROUX How branding from Karla Pámanes helped a new restaurant go from unknown to fully funded and over-booked A stunning brand identity brings an authentic Cajun eatery to life CHALLENGE: A lack of brand identity Following years in the insurance industry and a pandemic layoff, Stephanie Civitillo decided to follow her dreams in creating Roux, a Cajun Eatery bringing Louisiana food, music, and culture to New England. She sought to provide a refuge for her community amidst the stress of COVID-19 while honoring her family’s Louisiana roots. Stephanie was desperate to get this right. New to the restaurant world and operating as chef and owner, Stephanie was learning on the fly every day. On her plate: raising startup funds, responsibly renovating her historic building, developing partnerships with local vendors, training a sous chef and most importantly - creating and testing her menu. It was overwhelming. She thought she might eventually create a simple jpeg logo when she had the time. “I was trying to create menus and the brand and negotiating on leases and learning all of the verbiage around each of those. And I knew - there are things that I can probably do myself, but need to hand off.”
STEPHANIE CIVITILLO | Roux Cajun Eatery |
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SOLUTION: An authentic brand identity that inspires a community
Stephanie realized Roux deserved more than the hastily conceived logo she had initially envisioned. The solution Karla proposed was next level – a comprehensive package of brand colors, fonts, logo and identity assets. This would breathe life into her restaurant ahead of it even having a physical space – ultimately exciting potential donors and future diners. There were certain elements close to Stephanie’s heart she knew she wanted considered as part of Karla’s discovery process. They discussed family origin stories, a specific blue referencing a Cajun Country artist and a handwritten feel to the word “Roux.” Karla took it all in. “When Karla first presented the brand, I was blown away. I was thinking small, and what I got was so much more. I knew she had listened to me. By the way that she took the unspoken things and turned them into the perfect identity. Not just a restaurant brand, not just a Cajun brand, but a brand that was ME."
STEPHANIE CIVITILLO | Roux Cajun Eatery Inspired by the passion Stephanie had for her project, Karla also concepted a tagline which ended up being the perfect distillation of Stephanie’s ideas. Karla also continues to save Stephanie time by creating a comprehensive Google Drive folder with multiple logo formats and instruction on how to use each. Now, when Stephanie needs to provide materials to a vendor, it’s incredibly easy. |
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RESULT: A fully funded Kickstarter and calls for takeout before doors were even open
Leveraging the brand identity Karla created for Stephanie in a few short weeks, the pair moved on to collaborate on a website. Stephanie launched a presence on social media that is cohesive and engaging. She does not struggle for content thanks to a clear identity framework that guides her. Most importantly, Karla’s work provided the basis for a crowdfunding campaign focused on selling branded items. Roux’s clothing and bags are now worn across the country. THE NUMBERS:
“Now I’m starting to feel like – are we going to be ready for the amount of people that are going to be coming through the doors? Is this TOO effective? It's really exciting to know that I'm not going to be sitting here waiting for customers for months.”
STEPHANIE CIVITILLO | Roux Cajun Eatery |
