Now that the craze of the newly opened SoKno Taco Cantina in South Knoxville has calmed down, we can talk about some of the different successes of the restaurant. There seems to always be a crowd of people waiting to try the great food and drinks that SoKno has to offer. But, what people are also able to experience is the art that makes up the restaurant. I am not talking about pictures and sculptures; I am talking about the menus, the merchandise, and the logo. Without some of these, there may be a totally different brand to the restaurant. All those things have to come from somewhere, and in this case it came from Knoxville Graphic House.
The definition of “Art” ( according to the Webster Dictionary)— the conscious use of skill and creative imagination especially in the production of aesthetic objects. We, at KGH, have used our creative imagination to produce some of SoKno’s art.
Graphic Designer, Kate Turnbull, put her creativity to work to produce some memorable
pieces of art within SoKno Taco Cantina. Kate began with producing the logo. “SoKno wanted a clean text, simple font. The real fun came with the freedom of colors. I chose earthy tones, not only for a southwestern feel, but also to hint at all of the great outdoor experiences available in South Knoxville. It is definitely a Mexican cantina, so I wanted those bright right colors, but in a more subdued, modern feel,” Kate said.
Creating the menu was the easy part. The idea for the menu was based loosely off the menu of the sister restaurant, Holy Taco, in Johnson City. KGH designers added more of SoKno’s theme and branding to menu to make it unique to SoKno Taco Cantina.
Bryan "Howie" Howington, one of SoKno’s owners, can be thanked for the idea of the phrase “Ride beer, Eat bikes, Drink tacos” that KGH is putting on apparel to be sold at SoKno Taco Cantina. The idea comes from Howie’s desire to encourage people to come hang out at SoKno after they get done riding their bikes on the local bike trails.
Along with Howie’s idea, KGH designer Kate is preparing for more upcoming apparel. She is designing onesies/kids apparel that will be bursting with cute, colorful illustrations and fun taco puns (you guac my world, let’s taco ‘bout how cute I am, etc.). All of the apparel and merchandise being created is being printed in-house at Knoxville Graphic House. All apparel will be printed using our DTG (direct-to-garment) printer.
With a creative team like we have here at KGH, we can make design dreams come true. If you are wanting to freshen up your brand and make your design dreams come true too, let Knoxville Graphic House give you a hand.