Mettā

Strategy
Create a brand experience rooted in Chef Norberto Piattoni's philosophy of ethical, elemental cooking where nature, craft, and spirituality come together. The goal is to build something that feels lived-in, not branded, and invites people to slow down and notice.

Design
The mark pulls from the alchemical symbol for fire a simple triangle which is woven into a minimal 'M'. We use charcoal and natural textures for illustrations keeping the materials authentic to the fire theme. Instead of traditional signage, an iron "M" is embedded into the sidewalk at the entrance. Inside, four artworks representing the seasons feature hidden symbolic elements and a repeating triangular pattern adds to the idea of building the 'metta verse' an immersive environment. The website and social media assets are rendered in charcoal to enhance the physical experience (since the digital screen becomes the portal the visuals need to work harder to keep the physical feel). It is stripped down for essentials incorporating reservations and menus, but the easter egg is that if left idle, illustrations of plants and animals slowly appear on the screen overtaking whatever is left idle. Every brand touchpoint is designed to feel like it belongs naturally; from the staff's wood-carrying bags to the subtle use of patterns all of it reinforces the atmosphere in an elegant subtle way.

Engagement
The result is a space where guests move intuitively between discovery and comfort, experiencing the psychedelic and symbolic philosophy of Mettā at every level.
Scope
1. Creative Direction
2. Brand Identity
3. Website/Menus/Social Assets
3. Development & Design
Tags
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


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. 
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. One of the biggest things in this project were paying attention to the details and hidding little easter eggs everywhere. So 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. 
Continuing with the emphasis on details we wanted to add custom signage through out the restaurant. One specifically is the choking victim posters–they are mandatory in nyc restaurants, so we made our own.