Il Locale Firenze
Print Design
Editorial Design
Custom Illustration
Housed within Florence’s historic 11th-century Palazzo Concini, Il Locale blends luxury dining with centuries of Florentine heritage. While the venue features striking frescoed ceilings and five centuries of historic architecture, the existing menu functioned as a basic list that detached guests from the environment. My goal was to elevate the menu from a simple functional list into an authentic, tactile piece that feels right at home in the historic dining space.
01. Discovery & Material Research
To ground the design in the physical space, I spent an afternoon inside the restaurant capturing high-resolution photography of original architectural hardware, glassware, and surface textures. I carefully collaged these physical details, establishing a visual bridge between classical Florence and modern dining.
02. Illustration & Editorial Typography
I created a custom illustration for the cover to give the menu a distinct sense of place. For the interior pages, I selected an editorial typographic layout rather than a typical functional menu structure. This deliberate typographic choice creates an engaging reading pace while maintaining flawless legibility.
03. Tactile Experience & Outcome
The final pieces act as natural extensions of the interior architecture. Guests now interact with the menus and packaged spirits as core components of the dining journey, picking them up, examining the artwork, and passing them around the table like curated artifacts.
