The Jiddi Space & Courtyard are equal parts modern and provincial, and what we consider a hidden gem in downtown Raleigh. This fully enclosed private dining and event space and courtyard is tucked behind the Sitti & Gravy restaurants, offering a secluded outdoor/indoor venue for special events. While served by both restaurants, the name Jiddi is a counterpart to the name Sitti. In Lebanese sitti means grandmother and jiddi means grandfather. Through focused marketing efforts and the hard work of our Private Dining Coordinators, the Jiddi Space & Courtyard have seen increased bookings. With this growth it is necessary to develop a visual brand for the Jiddi Space & Courtyard to allow it to be properly positioned as an event venue. As the space is serviced by both Sitti & Gravy, it is important to be able to market the space separate from the restaurants. Establishing a brand mark and an online presence will allow potential guests to more easily find and recognize it as they search for venues to suit their event.
Inspiration
The space is referred to as a “hidden gem,” gemstones, and more specifically, the cuts of gemstones is the main source of inspiration for the logo mark.
The space is in a historic building and features a lovely exposed brick wall. This element of the space led to thoughts of architectural details. Are there any elements that could hint at a mark to represent the space? Aside from the brick, not so much. But...Moving on to the source of the Jiddi name. The word is Lebanese, so a search through visuals of Lebanese art, architecture, and design uncovered geometric motifs used in Lebanese architecture, screens, and tile patterns. Further research found that geometric patterns are used in Italian tile and mosaic designs. Therefore, basing the logo mark on geometry will create a link to both Sitti and Gravy’s cultural influences.
The symmetry and line work of the geometric motifs brought back to mind, the cut patterns of gemstones. A blend of the geometrical motifs and the gemstone cut patterns provide the basis for the logo concept.
Logo Construction
The logo mark is formed with just two shapes, a square and an octagon. The square represents the rectangle shape of the “stamp” icon for Gravy, for the sake of symmetry, a square is used. Rotating the square creates a diamond shape that mirrors the diamond shape of the Sitti “tile” mark. Combined they form an eight-pointed star, a shape that is found in both the Lebanese and Italian design inspiration references.
The octagon shape represents the Courtyard. While the actual courtyard is not an octagon, it’s shape is reminiscent of a cut gemstone and it is used to unify the star, square, and diamond shapes into one design, symbolizing how the Courtyard connects both Sitti and Gravy to the Jiddi Space. The center of the shape forms another octagon, creating an open space. This space represents the idea that the Jiddi space is open to everyone, and it is a space to be filled with people coming together as a community, as family, and as friends, to share a meal and create an event that is unique to them.
Typography
Two typefaces were chosen for the logotype. The first is a contrasted weight sans serif. The curves in the letterforms have thick and thin portions that mimic the weight of a calligraphic pen stroke. This feature is also found in the Sitti logotype.
The second typeface is a mono-weight sans serif that is highly geometric in form, a characteristic of both type and design of the Art Deco era, which was an influence in the design of the Gravy logo.
The script typeface can be used as an accent in print collateral. The handwritten style of the font represents the personal touch the venue staff puts into their collaboration with the clients to bring their vision for the event to life.
Color
The venue hosts a wide variety of events both social and corporate. Wedding celebrations—ceremonies, receptions, rehearsal/welcome dinners—make up a large portion of events held in the space, but it also holds other types of celebrations as well as corporate events, such as luncheons, speaking engagements, and more. The color palette needed to complement both categories of events—social and corporate. For the main color palette I returned to gemstones for inspiration. The blue-green shades used in the logo are reminiscent of shades of emerald and aquamarine. The use of the different hues in the full color logo are meant to represent the light and shadows that make a gemstone sparkle. The secondary color palette is mainly used on the website. It is also comprised of gemstone inspired colors, like the coral color and the green peridot. The darker shades were chosen to provide proper contrast for accessibility.
