Just last week, multinational casual restaurant chain Shake Shake founded by Danny Meyer, went public in an IPO listing of US$1.6 billion.
Fast Co. Design unearthed the story of the company’s strong branding done by Paula Scher of Pentagram.
Scher explained that the Shake Shack project was picked up for free as an extension of the Conservancy project as she was already spearheading the pro bono redesign of Madison Square Park’s identity.
The first typeface used was Neutra for its store signage, which would match the first corrugated metal hut shack designed by James Wines—to date, the metallic Neutra lettering could still be spotted at all of their global stores.
Scher then introduced a second wave of branding—it wasn’t well-paid work considering that they had only one outlet then—which is based on the core idea that Shake Shack is a 1950s burger joint reimagined for a modern context.
She then used the Galaxie Cassiopeia font—or the “phony neon script” as lovingly dubbed by Scher—paired together with the brand's iconic burger, shake and fry icons, inspired by mid-century neon signs.
The logo and icons used on the signage, bags and uniform is what makes the restaurant stand out from the competition.
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[via Fast Co. Design]