Las Morenas 517
A complete visual identity for a restaurant where Mexican and Soul Food share the same table.
The Brief
Two culinary traditions.
One cohesive identity.
Las Morenas 517 is a Grand Rapids restaurant built on a simple premise: Mexican food and Soul Food belong at the same table. The founders came without a name, without a visual system, and without a way to communicate what made the concept distinct.
The brief was to build a brand that could hold both culinary traditions honestly — not as a novelty, but as a natural expression of the community it serves. Everything from the name to the mascot to the color palette had to feel earned, not forced.
The Approach
01
Brand Strategy
Naming, positioning, brand voice, and visual direction. Defining what the brand stands for before a single mark was drawn.
02
Identity Design
Logo system exploration across type treatments, illustration styles, and lockup configurations. Iterating from sketch to final mark.
03
Brand Guidelines
Production-ready brand book covering logo usage, color system, typography, illustration, and application across print and digital.
Illustration System
A mascot built from the ground up.
The brand’s central character — a joyful woman in a headwrap — was designed by hand. She is the visual embodiment of the brand tagline: Everyone is welcome at the table.
Two character variations were developed — outline for logo lockups, full color for brand book and marketing. Supporting illustrations extend the system across every touchpoint.
The Outcome
A brand system ready for signage, menus, packaging, social, and print — on day one.
Las Morenas 517 launched with a complete, consistent visual identity — logo system, character illustration, color palette, typography, and brand book — all built to scale. The brand communicates what the founders always knew: that warmth, culture, and great food do not need a translation.
Brand tagline
"Everyone is welcome at the table."
Live Site
Everyone is welcome at the table — now online.
Las Morenas 517 took its new identity straight to the web. The catering site carries the full system — hand-drawn wordmark, warm Mexican–Soul Food palette, and the “everyone is welcome” voice — into a fast, mobile-first experience where guests explore the story, browse the menu, and request a quote in a single tap.
Built to book
A clear Reach Out → Plan Your Menu → We Show Up flow, with one-tap quote requests and click-to-call.
Made for the menu
Flexible structure for fusion plates, soul food classics, and rotating weekend specials.
On brand, end to end
Wordmark, warm palette, and welcoming voice carried straight from the brand system.
Visit lasmorenas.com →