White Oak

The Cuisine of the South

Downtown Atlanta’s White Oak is where hotel guests, business professionals, event planners and families go for dining with regional roots that nourish the spirit of the South. Along with a top-tier wine list with European depth, and purpose-driven guest services, White Oak offers a refined taste of home in a growing international city.

With a new executive chef at the helm, owners Alan and Cindy LaBlanc wanted a refreshed brand identity to visually level-up and parallel with the revamped menu and cultivated direction of the restaurant.

Collaboration Included
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Brand Strategy
Brand Identity
Environmental Signage
Illustration
Menu Design
Print Design + Materials
Swag Design
Wayfinding

The owners wanted to redefine White Oak to be an intellectually-driven experience inspired by their European travels. A restaurant with purpose and passion that looked and felt effortless—as if it’s been there for generations.

To reflect this direction, we took a deep dive into the visual history of the classic international restaurant scene, past and present. The custom primary wordmark was created with the contemporary revival of a script to exude a sophisticated, yet unpretentious aire. A secondary wordmark set in Herold, a bold Art Nouveau advertising face, adds a cosmopolitan flare that harmonizes with daily life in the city.

Custom Primary Wordmark

Secondary Wordmark

The restaurant’s redesign embraces a refined Southern American meets European aesthetic blending timeless elegance with modern comfort to create an immersive cultural experience. Warm, neutral tones are paired with natural materials like marble, wood, velvet and brass, while soft ambient lighting and classic architectural details evoke the charm of a café or a rustic trattoria.

Carefully curated artwork, vintage accents, and subtle background music enhance the atmosphere, inviting guests to linger and savor both the cuisine and the ambiance. The result is a space that feels enlighted yet welcoming, capturing the essence of Southern and European dining traditions.

The redesigned menu uses a thoughtful combination of typefaces to visually express the fusion of Southern warmth and European refinement. Elegant serif fonts, reminiscent of classic French bistros, are paired with relaxed san-serifs and hand-lettered styles that evoke the charm and hospitality of the American South. Bold, traditional lettering was also used to ground the menu and create a sense of balance between comfort and sophistication. This layered typography not only enhances readability, but also subtly tells the story of a menu that brings together two rich culinary traditions.

Before

After—Primary

After—Secondary