Tinwell Bar

This was one of those “idea on a napkin” stories. One where three drunk friends find themselves trying to develop a concept for a new bar. The owner poured us drinks while we sketched out ideas. What we finally came up with was Tinwell Bar.

Tinwell opened in 2016. In the year leading up to it’s launch, I worked with the owners to finalize their brand and their menus. Luckily the client was full of their own brimming ideas, so this made finding our direction simple and fun.

The bar logo is pretty traditional; an arched western serif font with a drop shadow and a coupe in a diamond for the icon. The idea was to create something that felt familiar and authentic to the bar’s aesthetic and the bootlegger mentality.

Once the brand was established, we created a menu that honored the craft of cocktail making, while providing the customer something unique to look at. The inspiration was the work of the great Oscar Haimo and his “Bartender’s Bible” from the 1940s. Filled with illustrations and clever quotes, we followed the style and and added our favorites to the menu.