Triboro uses cutouts to create a punchy identity for Sauvage

Brooklyn-based Triboro has created an identity for Williamsburg restaurant Sauvage inspired by art nouveau and the stylings of French bistros. “From the beginning we were inspired by the name Sauvage, (French for savage, wild, untamed) so we thought that we should use the most primitive techniques we could think of to design with. We experimented with inking random wooden shapes and making compositions, or scanning various organic textures,” explains David Heasty, co-founder of Triboro. “At some point along the way we thought of cut paper, because as designers it felt like the most pure method we could use. With all our restaurant projects we want an identity that stays flexible and surprising even when applied to the vast number of applications a typical restaurant needs.”

The paper cuts are a series of abstract motifs that seek to evoke an atmosphere that complements the restaurant space. “Although the designs are ambiguous they almost function like hieroglyphs from some ancient culture—we don’t understand them but can maybe empathise. We liked the visceral energy of the cut paper but in application they felt very flat on their own. We then tried to expand our use of paper, and adding in another dimension,” says David. “We built miniature architectural spaces out of coloured paper and then photographed them. Although texturally these are very different from the flat cut paper, we used the same psychological guidelines as the hieroglyphs, trying to make photos that were ambiguous in nature, but still tapped into a gut response. We didn’t really know what we had until we combined everything, but once you saw the whole system together, everyone was on board with the design.”

The identity is used across the menus, business cards, website, promotional materials and the matchbooks. The typography is a mix of handwriting and Grilli Type’s Walsheim, because the designers felt some geometry was needed to contrast the handwork. “The final thing we decided to do was to print all the materials with an alternate CMYK breakdown, where we switched the Yellow and Magenta with their neon Pantone counterpart,” says David. “When printed on the warm uncoated paper, this gave the identity a lot of punch.”