1. Creative Direction
2. Development & Design

New York City
2017
Hospitality

“I strongly believe that food and plants are the only medicines we should take, and whatever we put inside us will shape our exterior”
– Chef Norberto

Mettā

Residing on a brownstone-lined block in the neighborhood of Fort-Greene Brooklyn, Mettā is the restaurant of Chef Norberto.

The name "Mettā," is a term from Buddhist belief meaning 'sending benevolence out into the world.' Chef Norberto Piattoni’s passionate philosophy carries through to his ethical culinary practice and focuses on the traditional Argentinan technique of cooking over an open wood fire.

Our brand identity embraces the holistic world and focuses on spirituality and nature.

Bon Appetit ↗
Vogue ↗

Approaching the facade there is no distinguishable signage, but under your feet at the front door, you are met with an iron M sunk into the sidewalk.

The logo features two triangles, which are derived from the alchemical symbol for fire. The medium of charcol was introduced through illustration and symbol rendering.

Walking through the threshold you are transported into the metta-verse (this was 2018) where you will notice the four large artworks on the walls, each representative of a season with their own entity surrounded by symbolic elements of the particular season. The entities are also embraced by a pattern of triangles, taken from the brand mark. On closer inspection, you can see magical ingredients and animals represented on the menus and different signs all around.

The brand's website provides simple navigation for most important needs: reservations, calling, and menus, and is focused on mobile use, but when the screen is left idle for over three minutes, magical animals and plants begin to pop up and envelop the screen.

Employees used a wood carrying bag to carry wood from the storage area under the restaurant around to the custom made wood oven inside the restaurant. An approach to bring the logo into the enviornment that didn’t feel intrusive.

Mettā

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