Steff’s Kitchen
Homecooked Meets Heartfelt
Steff's Kitchen is a charming, family-owned café, nestled in the historic village of Beaulieu on the edge of the New Forest, right at the heart of the tranquil Fairweather’s Garden Centre. Known for its delicious homecooked meals made from fresh, locally sourced ingredients, it’s the perfect spot for breakfast, lunch, or an afternoon treat.
THE CHALLENGE
Collaborating with Peg Design in Hampshire, Design by Ant was tasked with developing a brand for this newly-opened café, run by Steff, the wife of the Garden centre's owner.
Given Peg’s longstanding relationship with Fairweather’s Garden Centre, we needed to create a brand that would not only resonate with the café customers, but also make Steff and her team feel proud!
THE SOLUTION
The café owner, Steff, had a unique way of writing the 'e' in her name in reverse, which we saw as the perfect starting point for the brand's identity. Design by Ant created a distinctive, hand-written style logo for Steff's Kitchen, incorporating her signature ‘e' to give it a personal, authentic touch.
The name was then enclosed within a soft, rounded diamond shape, creating the SK badge, which became a key element of the brand's visual identity. We chose a vibrant tomato-red as the main logo color, reflecting the café's warm, welcoming atmosphere. The SK badge shape was not just limited to the logo, it also served as a versatile design element used across the café's marketing materials. To ensure clarity and simplicity, we paired it with a bold, heavy all-caps font for titles and key messages.
Design by Ant expanded the brand into various applications, such as menus, packaging, and signage, all printed on a recycled brown paper-style stock – a suggestion by Peg Design – to highlight the café's dedication to freshness and sustainability.
The outcome was a unified and welcoming brand that perfectly captured the warmth and personality of Steff's Kitchen, establishing it as a standout feature within the garden centre and the local community.
