Arborescence
Custom typography
Project done with David Delcloque
Photography Arborescence, Maks, Keys
Sign painting Maks
2022
Located on the site of a former textile factory in Lille, Arborescence is a gastronomic restaurant founded by chefs Félix and Nidta Robert. Trained by some of the world’s greatest chefs, they took off on a flight of their own to create this place where together they develop a poetic and refined cuisine influenced by plants. For the visual identity of this place, conceived by graphic designer David Delcloque, we designed a custom typography that reflects the inspired cuisine of the Franco-Thai couple.
To design the restaurant’s typeface, we drew on our ongoing dialogue with the two chefs and the designer, which brought to light their taste for simplicity, plants, and raw materials. Another important ingredient was Nidta’s Thai origin, which influences her approach to gastronomy. With these elements in mind, we thought about how we could create a typeface in harmony with the elegant sobriety of the place, while providing a subtle detail strong enough to build an identity.
Inspired by the shapes of the Thai alphabet and the textile history of the old factory, we designed a Clarendon-like typeface to which we added an organic touch by creating loop terminals for certain characters. The letter shapes evoke by themselves the culinary inspirations of the two chefs, while echoing the restaurant premises’ past.
