LA CHINESCA:
PUT THAT MOUTH TO GOOD USE.
LET'S TACO 'BOUT IT
La Chinesca is a hole-in-the-wall Mexican restaurant inspired by the inner city cultures of Mexico and Hong Kong. With their skill of mixing cultures and eclectic flavors, La Chinesca creates handmade tacos and dishes so good that you don't mind getting your hands dirty. In fact, you'll ask for seconds. The restaurant is an ode to celebrated chef Bruce Rickett’s first love: Mexican cuisine. He says, "I want to make people smile with my tacos."
WHAT WE DID
Brand Identity
Brand Strategy
Copywriting
Environment Design
PROJECT TEAM
Creative Direction: Deane Miguel
Lead Strategy: Karina Abola
Lead Design: Therese Luna & Tintin Lontoc
Design: Angela Chua & Paolo Geronimo
La Chinesca is anything but your run-of-the-mill Mexican cantina. With pop culture having a strong stance on what Mexican cuisine is like, we were careful not to fall into the clichés of the typical taqueria. We needed La Chinesca to have a distinct character, to be in a league of its own. In order to make Bruce Ricketts' vision come to life, we wanted to mix different cultural influences to capture the very soul of Ricketts himself.
With this in mind, we took cues from iconic key elements such as vintage posters, Mexican paraphernalia, and Asian pop culture, and turned them into something new—something uniquely La Chinesca. Take for instance the handwritten logotype, gritty, raw, and paired with the primary icon of a not-so-typical luchador mask inspired by Chinese design influences. The brand's visually eclectic look, guided by the mix of cultures, is even further solidified by the myriad of posters plastered on the walls.
We designed La Chinesca's look to be rough and unpolished yet also warm and in full color. The visual language was meant to communicate a celebration of food, the fusion of flavors, and the reign of the almighty taco. At the end of the day, La Chinesca simply aims to make good food for good people—and we believe we helped them achieve that.
“La Chinesca does not claim to be an authentic taqueria; instead, it is Rickett’s celebration of flavors, culture, and life.”
Our branding played a huge role in the environment design of the restaurant as well. La Chinesca's walls are plastered with gritty posters inspired by the streets of Hong Kong with their own Mexican flair—a true reflection of the brand's grit and soul.
Some personal stories and anecdotes of the owners Bruce Ricketts & Jae Pickrell were also included in the mix of posters. Spot them if you can.
Making a name for itself as one of the best restaurants down south, La Chinesca is arguably the best taco joint in town. It's in a league of its own. It has become a part of the neighborhood and greatly shaped what it is today. Our direction, paired with Bruce Rickett's vision, gave birth to a restaurant craved by many and loved by all. Have doubts? Try it for yourself.
"La Chinesca was such a personal project for me and the branding really helped bring our story to life. I wanted my tacos to make people smile, and working hand in hand with Serious Studio allowed us to do that."
— BRUCE RICKETTS
