BABEL Budapest
Fine Dining Restaurant
Babel is one of Budapest's Michelin-starred restaurants. Its cuisine is characterized by artisanal sophistication, the use of local ingredients, and the creative reimagining of the most exciting dishes from the Austro-Hungarian Empire. In the restaurant's visual identity, we aimed to emphasize its artistic nature, which is why the logo features a single large, painted 'B' as its initial, resembling a work of art in itself.
This is the updated branding, created ten years after the opening and the original design. Compared to the previous one, the branding now is much more subdued and simpler in appearance. Over the past decade, the restaurant has returned to its roots: they now work with organic ingredients, embracing naturalness and the original, ancient flavors. The sign on the street front was also shiny when the restaurant first opened, but over time it has developed a patina. We didn’t want to give the restaurant an entirely new identity; instead, we aimed to visually represent this aging process through design elements.
We emphasized the artistic nature, the importance of slow processes and the restaurant's general artisanal approach with special identity elements where brushstrokes take center stage.
The restaurant's sophistication and the intimate, homely character of its interiors are reflected in the elements of the visual identity, such as the menus. For their production, we used premium papers and printing techniques.
On the duplex business card, the logo dominates, while the information is subtly elegant, with a fine underprint in the background.
The visual identity is also reflected on other accessories, such as uniforms and aprons.
As nature, the use of natural ingredients, and respect for the environment are important to Babel, we used natural colors and subtle shades, combining them with the visual identity based on brushstrokes.
The visual identity is completed by premium-quality stationery, such as envelopes and compliment cards.
Babel Restaurant earned its first Michelin star in 2019, which it has successfully retained every year since. We believe that, alongside the culinary artistry, the team's dedication, and the soft elegance of the interior, the timeless visual identity we designed has also contributed to its consistent success and popularity.
