DutchScot's identity for Sucre tells a sweet story of immigration

This central London restaurant, led by Argentine Fernando Trocca, has an inspiring back story. DutchScot put it front and centre of their new branding for the enterprise.

Written By: Tom May

24 May 2023

Porteños (“people of the port”) captured going about their day in Buenos Aires. All illustrations by Rebecca Sutherland.

When choosing somewhere to eat, you're looking for decent food, a nice atmosphere and affordable prices. But in central London, there are many good places to choose from. A successful restaurant needs to do a little more to stand out.

Customers love hearing about a venue's back story: what inspired its owners to launch it in the first place and what's behind the menu it offers. And it's the job of branding to share that tale in a way that both lures punters in and makes them feel part of its continuing story.

Two business cards for Sucre restaurant, featuring the restaurant name on the left and contact details and address on the right on a white background

Bright yellow awning with "sucre" text above the entrance to the restaurant, with ornate gold wreaths and architectural details on the white facade

A tattooed arm holding a poker directs sparks from a roaring fire in an open fireplace with metal grate and wooden seating area behind

Three printed branding materials with light blue backgrounds and bold black lettering spelling "ABAJO", featuring black and white photographs of people and design elements with red and orange borders

Here's a great example crafted by DutchScot, a design and branding consultancy we're big fans of, having previously covered their branding for a Hampstead housing scheme and an animated identity for Future Factory.

The brief

Headed up by much respected Argentine chef Fernando Trocca, Sucre is a restaurant with Latin American and European influences, set within a 310-year-old former concert hall in London's Great Marlborough Street.

The menu tells the story of Chef Fernando Trocca's immigrant background and the European adventurers who crossed the Atlantic to make their home in his native Argentina. The wine list makes the same trip.

Yellow book with "Liore" handwritten on cover, positioned next to a white card reading "SUCRE

Two bearded men in conversation over drinks and food, illustrated in black and white line art style

Line drawing showing a glass, two hats with bands, and dining utensils arranged on a neutral background

Open book with pink cover showing restaurant menu pages with black line illustrations of a pig and cow and yellow silk ribbon bookmark

Bottling the journey from Old World to New, and the mingling of new grapes and makers who poured into the land, passing their secrets down the vine of different family generations.

When DutchScot were asked to craft a fresh visual identity for the restaurant, they came up trumps.

The branding

The movement of people from Europe to South America is displayed on the wine menu cover. This story of immigration informs the wine list itself, with wines being sourced that chronicle the journey.

The logo is a union of several Old World references, heritages and influences to reflect the Chef's and restaurant's immigrant background, using contradictory and mismatching elements and carefully crafting these into a new unified expression.

Common Argentine tango steps were studied and used decoratively throughout the branding. And the new branding also features illustrations created by Rebecca Sutherland: a charming study of the daily life of the people of Buenos Aires.

Orange envelope with sketched illustration of chef Fernando Trocca and handwritten text visible on white card inside

Hand-drawn map with curved lines connecting Spain, Italy, Argentina and France on a textured orange background

Three branded book covers for Sucre restaurant, each featuring a coloured vertical stripe on the left and the restaurant name in black text

Abajo, a bar by Renato 'Tato' Giovannoni, lies underneath the restaurant. Abajo translates to 'below' or 'downstairs' and is based on the underground spirit of 80s Buenos Aires. Argentina had just left a harsh military dictatorship.

What followed was an explosion of culture and optimism. The Argentinian economy was struggling, so to reflect this, items from Sucre were overprinted in an expression of frugality. The name was represented in the stepped logo and visual language.