Re: Menu Design

I love menus--in fact, I get so lost in looking at the design that I am often late to place my order. I really like how Nathan broke menus into three areas: aesthetics, information, and promotion. I don't know why, but it really surprised me to learn there are menu experts. 

I think as a designer, it is difficult to be pulled in by the tricks of the trade if you will (i.e. placement in upper-right hand corner). With that said, if the menu is good enough, it might persuade me to change my mind. I think the most effective menu tool is writing--you must sell me the food with good descriptions. Second to that, a picture can do wonders to persuade me to make a purchase. Even though upscale restaurants don't use images, if we are talking about your run of the mill chain restaurants, a good picture goes a long way. 

I was just reading in the Sep/Oct Communication Arts issue about food photographer Sue Tallon. The article included several of her images, two of which were a tatter tot in a pile of ketchup and a huge burger. I cannot describe the delicacy of these images--see for yourself:

According to Aaron Allen, a successful Orlando, Florida restaurant consultant and menu design engineer, menus are everything. Check out this article, The Importance of Menu Design. Can you believe that the Culinary Arts Institute has its own Department of Menu Research & Development. There I go again getting surprised. What a marketing world we live in. Sometimes it is difficult for my conscience to think that design is so tightly knitted to selling goods instead of just for making the world a more aesthetically pleasing place to live in.