Focus 05 – Billboard Advertising

Connecting To People

Client: Focus 05 (Class Project)
Role: Graphic Designer
Medium: Print
Tools: Adobe Photoshop, InDesign
Skills: Graphic Design, Color Theory, Brand Messaging, Data Analysis, Large-Scale Design

Focus 05, a Manhattan-based restaurant, sought to expand its customer base by attracting a younger demographic, specifically Millennials. The original billboard, however, was not resonating with this target audience due to its lengthy text and the unintended message that discouraged social media use.

The Process

Research Phase:

Studied purchasing habits, ad preferences, typography choices and color psychology among the different generations.

Initial Concept Development:

No branding guide provided; used shared imagery and logo as a starting point.
Created a mood board with colors from the provided image.
Developed three concept billboards based on generational research.

Designer Concerns

Felt the provided images didn’t align with the restaurant’s core messaging.
Worried the visuals conveyed the wrong story.

Validation and Feedback

Tested billboard concepts with a focus group of Millennials who frequent local restaurants.
Feedback confirmed concerns about imagery alignment.

Refinement

Searched for new imagery capturing friends joyfully dining over healthy meals.
Ensured visual supported the brand narrative and resonated with the target audience.

Bringing The Vision To Life

For the final design, I adopted a minimal approach, incorporating warm colors and bold typography. A warm reddish-orange overlay subtly fades into a warm and inviting image that creates a visual impact that conveys the story of friends sharing a dining experience. The design aimed to balance simplicity with storytelling, capturing attention while evoking a sense of connection. As a testament to its effectiveness, my 21-year-old daughter walked by, and after glimpsing at my computer screen, remarked, “That restaurant looks good, where is it located?”