Europe and Australia’s leading restaurant booking platform, TheFork has refreshed their brand identity. The new look and feel emphasize TheFork’s mission to bring people together through dining experiences. With bold colors, simple yet striking forms, and punchy copy, the rebranding focuses on the communal and social aspects of eating at restaurants. Let’s delve into the details behind this design first rebrand.
A Reinvigorated Brand to Match an Expanding Audience
Initially launched in 2007 as a reservation service for professionals, TheFork now features over 55,000 restaurants across 12 countries and has 20 million monthly visitors. To match this brand growth, TheFork needed a bold and contemporary brand identity to speak to its expanding audience and global presence. London-based DesignStudio‘s team was tasked with reimagining TheFork’s look and feel to bring people together in an increasingly digitized world and champion restaurant culture.
The Logo: A Symbol of Connection
The new logo, which is the main highlight of the rebrand, is composed of a negative space design of a three-pronged fork. The simple two-tone colors speak to the brand’s desire for an accessible yet vibrant identity. Design director of DesignStudio, Charlotte Francis emphasizes the brand’s creative concept of ‘Feed your Spirit’ with the visual system radiating the energy of people coming together around a table. The logo is accompanied by a variety of greens, colors, symbols and patterns that nod to the diversity of cuisines on TheFork but come together in a cohesive style.
A Playful Tone of Voice
The refreshed identity comes to life through clever uses of motion design that take advantage of TheFork’s digital context and express simple but passionate energy that pervades the entire identity. The new tone of voice uses ‘punchy yet playful’ language to emphasize TheFork’s ethos of unity and connection, alluding to the communal nature of restaurant culture and the importance of breaking bread with friends and strangers alike. According to Jose Noguer, CMO of TheFork
“Our mission has always extended far beyond restaurant reservations. Instead, our essence lies in human connection. For us, restaurants are essential social spaces that have the power to bring people together. In restaurants, we find not only food but our appetite for life itself. It’s where we gather to share love, conversation, and laughter.”
Final Thoughts
TheFork’s rebranding has successfully captured the unifying nature of sharing food while championing restaurant culture. The new logo, various forms, symbols, and patterns, and diverse complementary palette all reflect the energy of people coming together around a table. The clever motion design and punchy language further emphasize TheFork’s ethos of unity and connection, making it clear that TheFork is more than just a restaurant booking platform, but a social space that brings people together.
