The Pawn Shop
w/ Studio Extra
Identity Design
Print Design
Menu Design
Photography
Signage Design
Copywriting
“We're all about providing a space for people to feel comfortable, to be who they are, and to enjoy our menu no matter the occasion.”
The Pawn Shop a is bar and taqueria that is at once a call back to old Granville street as a strip of pawn shops and porn shops, a reflection of the current street’s fun-loving party culture, and a look into the future of the street’s colourful revival.
Ray and Peter wanted their space to channel a no-nonsense East LA taqueria that feels like a hidden treasure, with affordable and delicious food and drinks. Their mission with The Pawn Shop has always been first and foremost to create a space that is comfortable and fun for everyone, and doesn’t take itself too seriously. We crystallized this feeling with a logo and typography that draw from the rigid and fluid structures of Granville neon, crusty back alley scrawlings, chaotic pawn shop windows and classic tattoos.
Several signs were created for the space, including interior and exterior vinyl, neon, marquee and water-cut steel. These all helped to advance the feeling of the street outside being a part of the interior of the bar. Interior Mural by Nelson Garcia.
The palette is a visual wayfinding tool, with food being represented by pink, drinks blue and tequila gold. Each weekly special has also been assigned a colour.
The illustrations created for this brand by Steph McDonell were designed to be scattered through the space and print like tags on a back-alley wall. They combine common pawn shop items smashed together with the food and symbols of the classic taqueria.
