Big5 — Turning a Local Burger Joint into a Local Icon
From Burger Joint to Local Legend. We didn’t just brand another restaurant — we built a story people wanted to taste. Big5 became more than a burger place. It became Iași’s loudest flavor, wrapped in bold design, playful storytelling, and an unapologetic love for good food.
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Client
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The Context
Big5 wasn’t looking for a logo. It wanted a cultural identity — one that locals would recognize instantly and visitors wouldn’t forget.
In 2020, a new burger brand was born in Iași.
But this wasn’t about chasing trends or gourmet pretension — it was about bringing real American energy to Romania, with everything larger than life: the flavors, the visuals, the attitude.
The name came from the five founding recipes — each one bold enough to stand on its own. But our challenge was bigger:
How do you take a burger shop and make it feel like a movement?
The Challenge: Standing Out in a Saturated Scene
Big5 needed a brand with flavor — one that could live across everything: packaging, menus, social media, interior design, even the way staff talked to customers.
Romania’s burger market had exploded.
Every city had its own “craft” concept, its own “best in town.” But they all looked the same — industrial fonts, dark walls, flat photography, overused fire textures.
We had to translate taste into tone and make design as craveable as the burgers themselves.
Our Approach
We started with story. At its core, Big5 was never about “fast food.” It was about big flavor, big character, and small ego.
We built a brand voice around wit, warmth, and confidence — a friend who teases you into ordering another burger.
The tagline “Big5 — Savor the American Dream” became the anchor for everything that followed.
Visual Identity
The logo design took cues from retro American diner aesthetics but stripped of cliché. Rounded geometry, solid typography, and vibrant contrasts gave it an instantly recognizable silhouette — adaptable for signs, stickers, and digital campaigns alike.
We paired bold reds and creamy neutrals to evoke warmth and appetite while maintaining brand consistency across packaging, menus, and digital surfaces.
Custom icons and line illustrations were introduced to support social media storytelling — turning each campaign into a visual story, not just an ad.
We didn’t need influencers. We built a brand people wanted to talk about.
We didn’t need influencers. We built a brand people wanted to talk about.
Voice, Tone & Storytelling
We crafted a distinct brand language: half diner nostalgia, half Instagram mischief.
Every line had personality.
Menus spoke with attitude. Campaigns teased instead of told.
And captions? They sounded like a local friend with impeccable taste and zero patience for bland food.
Through consistent storytelling, Big5 grew an audience that didn’t just eat — they participated. They shared memes, debated favorites, and called out seasonal drops before they launched.
Multi-Channel Brand System
We extended the brand into:
Packaging & print materials — designed for impact both in-hand and on Instagram.
Menu engineering & photography direction — balancing appetite appeal with readability.
Interior & signage concept — lightboxes, color blocking, and nostalgic typography for an immersive diner feel.
Social presence & local SEO — establishing Big5 as the burger reference in Iași.
Results & Impact
Big5 became more than a restaurant — it became a local love brand.
From its debut, it outperformed expectations, gaining organic traction on social channels and local listings.
The visual identity and storytelling consistency positioned it as one of Iași’s most recognizable hospitality brands within months of launch.
Today, Big5’s campaigns regularly spark local buzz, while its playful tone and bold visuals continue to define what a modern Romanian restaurant brand can be.
