I began working with Guys Bar Clifden just before Covid hit and so amid the catastrophy of closing his business, Shane had time to re-assess his offering. Over the following three years I worked with him on all aspects of the business. The underlying brief throughout was to bring to the fore Guys Bar’s superior quality in terms of both service and product. Food provenence and sustainablilty were being embedded in to the business but this green strategy was not being communicated to their customers. A brand strategy and identity refresh was developed starting with the name. ‘Guys Bar & Snug’ was changed to ‘Guys Bar Clifden’ to help with SEO and brand recognition, ‘Clifden’ being a strong brand itself. This new brand identity was then expressed throughout the business both online and in real life. We upgraded the shopfront with a bold new colour scheme, planters for with bee-friendly planting, new signage by local joiner Ronan Joyce and signwriter Lol Hardiman.
As part of the covid measures introduced in March 2020 we had to look at the entire user experience. With the rules and regulations changing regulalry this required dynamic thinking and constant revision. At first it was looking at a take-out only offering, having only two staff members working at once. We looked at the logo, branding, packaging and menus. Later, the layout of the bar, reducing and screening tables, the order of service and minimisng contact for both staff and customers. And as part of government intiative a new ooutdoor seating area was made available. Designing the best way to maximise this space, create a comfortable outdoor dining experience, while not blocking the public path and respecting the overal streetscape required careful planning and negotiations.
When Covid regulations lifted fully we began to think again about the food & drink offering. I intiatied and implemented a social media strategy for the business, producing and publishing content weekly. Constantly centering the message of food provenance, quality and sustainablility, with a little bit of fun thrown in for quality engagement. I developed a design for new menus and uniforms which are yet to be implemented.
