Menu Designs

by Celia Sin-Tien Cheng
May 1, 2009

An article on menu design in last weekend’s Financial Times was illuminating. It discusses how a restaurant’s menu, that should be a key marketing tool, is all too often difficult to read. The columnist, Nicholas Lander, asked British graphic designer Mike Dempsey the principles behind a menu that’s easy and attractive to read, and also asked him to critique 20 international menus.

Dempsey points out that the basic principles of good menu design are the same that drive the design of newspapers. As with all information design, a menu should be succinct and contain a clear hierarchy that’s easy to navigate. While clarity should always come first, a menu should also convey the restaurant’s personality.

“Beware the Small Print” is a must-read for all restaurant owners, or anyone like me with a passion for both food and design. I highly recommend looking it up on ft.com.

The New York Public Library houses one of the largest menu collections in the world. So, after reading the article, I decided to browse their Digital Gallery with Dempsey’s criteria in mind. The most recent menu in the collection, from The Modern, seems clear and conveys the restaurant’s personality well, but it’s also fun to identify the menus that don’t meet Dempsey’s standards.

If the Menu Collection piques your interest, you can register to access the actual menus in The New York Public Library’s Rare Books Division.

Happy menu browsing!

Credits: Click here for Longchamps Restaurant’s menu details and credits.