Logo and branding for Obsidian Bar & Restaurant.

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Named after ‘Obsidian’ a naturally occurring volcanic glass produced when felsic lava extrudes from a volcano and cools rapidly with minimal crystal growth. It is commonly found within the margins of rhyolitic lava flows known as Obsidian flows.

Obsidian is hard, brittle, and amorphous which means if fractures with a very sharp edge. In the past it was used to manufacture cutting tools and has been used experimentally as surgical blades. 

The name ‘Obsidian’ was very appropriate for a restaurant, the heat and flames of a volcano and the sharp edges and cutting ability of Obsidian perfectly represents the cooking and preparation of the food for the restaurant. 

Pure Obsidian is usually dark in appearance, either black or a very dark green, we used the properties of Obsidian in the branding and logo, the black background with a ring of flames in the shape of an ‘O’ for Obsidian, and the ‘A’ of the logo had the cross bar removed to simply reflect the shape of a volcano giving a unique and simple style to the logo. The overall effect of the branding was bold, bright and warm, clearly representing the restaurant and vision of the client.

By cleverly highlighting the ‘O’ of Obsidian on the menu we could simply represent the shape of a plate and on the drinks menu, which we named ‘Libations’, a word that was used by the ancient Greeks for an alcoholic drink that was offered to the Gods, we highlighted the ‘D and I’ of Obsidian to represent a glass or drinking vessel.