How to Design a Menu in 5 Easy Steps<\/h2>\n\n- Design with \u201ceye-scanning patterns\u201d in mind<\/li>\n
- Separate your menu into sections (and make those sections make sense)<\/li>\n
- Minimize (or eliminate) currency signs<\/li>\n
- Use appropriate and appetizing colours<\/li>\n
- Use photos sparingly \u2014 and make those photos exceptionally beautiful<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
Great menus generally follow these guidelines to make sure their menus are both beautiful and easily readable<\/a>.<\/p>\nNow that you understand the basics of menu design, let\u2019s look at some restaurants that use these rules \u2014 and a little extra creativity \u2014 to create something truly special.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t![\"banana_print_hubbly_bubbly\"](\"https:\/\/www.banana-print.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/banana_print_hubbly_bubbly.jpg\" "\\"banana_print_hubbly_bubbly\\"")
\n\t
Source<\/a><\/p>\nHubbly Bubbly: Orlando, USA<\/h3>\n
This menu is a masterclass in rules two and four. The restaurant (Orlando\u2019s Hubbly Bubbly) sells falafel in a variety of ways, with countless combinations of meat options, fixings, and sauces. Rather than listing every possible option, the designer separated the menu into manageable sections, which makes it easy for diners to determine which combination of goodies will satisfy their appetites.<\/p>\n
Additionally, this menu takes a page from the fast food playbook and uses a classic colour scheme of yellow and red. According to psychologists, seeing the colour red tends to make people feel hungrier \u2014 so choosing a bold red cover for their menu is a great way to ensure that your patrons start feeling peckish. Hubbly Bubbly\u2019s menu is a simple one, but it certainly gets the job done.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t![\"banana_print_vostan\"](\"https:\/\/www.banana-print.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/banana_print_vostan.jpg\" "\\"banana_print_vostan\\"")
\n\t
Source<\/a><\/p>\nVostan Restaurant: Yerevan, Armenia<\/h3>\n
It may seem counterintuitive to omit photos from your menus. After all, you eat with your eyes as much as your taste buds; showing your patrons a photo of something tasty is a great way to pique their interest. However, great food photography isn\u2019t cheap! It\u2019s actually best to limit the number of photos in your menu \u2014 and when you do use photos, make sure they are the best of the best.<\/p>\n
This menu from Armenian restaurant VOSTAN is a perfect example of cool menu design. The menu itself is fairly sparse and minimalist. It simply lists the restaurant\u2019s dishes, briefly describes them, and lists the price. But on the opposite page, the restaurant has printed a spectacular photo of a juicy slab of meat! Most pictures say a thousand words, but this one says only one: YUM!<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t![\"banana_print_ragu\"](\"https:\/\/www.banana-print.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/banana_print_ragu.jpg\" "\\"banana_print_ragu\\"")
\n\t
RAGU Cafe: Novosibirsk, Russia<\/h3>\n
Rule number five of our menu design basics is \u201cUse photos sparingly\u201d \u2014 but sometimes, rules are made to be broken. Russia\u2019s RAGU Cafe manages to break this rule to great effect. Instead of taking it easy on the photos, RAGU fills their menu with colorful, appetizing pictures of their small plate selection. This allows diners to know exactly what they\u2019re ordering, even if they don\u2019t speak or read Russian.<\/p>\n
Of course, it is important to note that these photos are rendered in impeccable print resolution<\/a>. The colors are vibrant, the food styling is superb, and everything contrasts nicely with the matte black background. These designers clearly focused on their use of color, space, and imagery, which resulted in a very unique and cool cafe menu design.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t![\"banana_print_lencant\"](\"https:\/\/www.banana-print.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/banana_print_lencant.jpg\" "\\"banana_print_lencant\\"")
\n\tSource<\/a><\/p>\nL\u2019Encant: Barcellona, Spain<\/h3>\n
L\u2019Encant sushi bar and caf\u00e9 offers a unique blend of Japanese and Catalan cuisine, and they wanted a unique menu design that reflected their bill of fare. Their menu design takes inspiration from Japanese folding fans, with laser-engraved wooden boards protecting the paper parts of the menu. This fan-style menu is beautiful to look at and helps give diners a more interesting experience while they visit the restaurant.<\/p>\n
Additionally, it\u2019s important to mention the other ways that this menu meets certain design requirements. Each page of the menu lists dishes from a different category (rule number two), and each section features a unique color (rule number four). When a diner fans out the menu, he or she can get a complete picture of the available options at L’Encant \u2014 which is exactly what restaurateurs want from their menus.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t![\"banana_print_ca_phe\"](\"https:\/\/www.banana-print.co.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/banana_print_ca_phe.jpg\" "\\"banana_print_ca_phe\\"")
\n\t
Great menus generally follow these guidelines to make sure their menus are both beautiful and easily readable<\/a>.<\/p>\n Now that you understand the basics of menu design, let\u2019s look at some restaurants that use these rules \u2014 and a little extra creativity \u2014 to create something truly special.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t Source<\/a><\/p>\n This menu is a masterclass in rules two and four. The restaurant (Orlando\u2019s Hubbly Bubbly) sells falafel in a variety of ways, with countless combinations of meat options, fixings, and sauces. Rather than listing every possible option, the designer separated the menu into manageable sections, which makes it easy for diners to determine which combination of goodies will satisfy their appetites.<\/p>\n Additionally, this menu takes a page from the fast food playbook and uses a classic colour scheme of yellow and red. According to psychologists, seeing the colour red tends to make people feel hungrier \u2014 so choosing a bold red cover for their menu is a great way to ensure that your patrons start feeling peckish. Hubbly Bubbly\u2019s menu is a simple one, but it certainly gets the job done.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t Source<\/a><\/p>\n It may seem counterintuitive to omit photos from your menus. After all, you eat with your eyes as much as your taste buds; showing your patrons a photo of something tasty is a great way to pique their interest. However, great food photography isn\u2019t cheap! It\u2019s actually best to limit the number of photos in your menu \u2014 and when you do use photos, make sure they are the best of the best.<\/p>\n This menu from Armenian restaurant VOSTAN is a perfect example of cool menu design. The menu itself is fairly sparse and minimalist. It simply lists the restaurant\u2019s dishes, briefly describes them, and lists the price. But on the opposite page, the restaurant has printed a spectacular photo of a juicy slab of meat! Most pictures say a thousand words, but this one says only one: YUM!<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t Rule number five of our menu design basics is \u201cUse photos sparingly\u201d \u2014 but sometimes, rules are made to be broken. Russia\u2019s RAGU Cafe manages to break this rule to great effect. Instead of taking it easy on the photos, RAGU fills their menu with colorful, appetizing pictures of their small plate selection. This allows diners to know exactly what they\u2019re ordering, even if they don\u2019t speak or read Russian.<\/p>\n Of course, it is important to note that these photos are rendered in impeccable print resolution<\/a>. The colors are vibrant, the food styling is superb, and everything contrasts nicely with the matte black background. These designers clearly focused on their use of color, space, and imagery, which resulted in a very unique and cool cafe menu design.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t Source<\/a><\/p>\n L\u2019Encant sushi bar and caf\u00e9 offers a unique blend of Japanese and Catalan cuisine, and they wanted a unique menu design that reflected their bill of fare. Their menu design takes inspiration from Japanese folding fans, with laser-engraved wooden boards protecting the paper parts of the menu. This fan-style menu is beautiful to look at and helps give diners a more interesting experience while they visit the restaurant.<\/p>\n Additionally, it\u2019s important to mention the other ways that this menu meets certain design requirements. Each page of the menu lists dishes from a different category (rule number two), and each section features a unique color (rule number four). When a diner fans out the menu, he or she can get a complete picture of the available options at L’Encant \u2014 which is exactly what restaurateurs want from their menus.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\n\tHubbly Bubbly: Orlando, USA<\/h3>\n
\n\tVostan Restaurant: Yerevan, Armenia<\/h3>\n
\n\tRAGU Cafe: Novosibirsk, Russia<\/h3>\n
\n\tL\u2019Encant: Barcellona, Spain<\/h3>\n
\n\t