TACO JOHN'S

Building a sense of place into a national brand

Retail Brand Strategy · Creative Direction · Environmental Design · Illustration · Art Direction

THE CHALLENGE

Taco John's is a recognizable West-Mex QSR brand with a strong connection to its Western roots. For this Ames, Iowa location, the opportunity was to create a restaurant experience that felt distinctly Taco John's while also feeling like it belonged to Ames.

Rather than simply applying existing brand assets to the walls, the goal was to develop a visual language that could connect brand, place, and personality.

This framing is also consistent with Taco John's broader emphasis on its Western heritage and its more recent push to evolve its restaurant image. The company has described its newer restaurant design as part of a broader brand evolution, with brighter colors, contemporary branding, and updated environmental elements.

MY ROLE

Creative Direction
Established the overall creative direction for the Ames location.

Local Research
Explored local visual references and cultural cues to create a sense of place.

Environmental Design
Developed concepts for murals, wall graphics, paint, surfaces, and furniture.

Illustration
Created a custom illustrated language inspired by the region.

Art Direction
Directed how the individual elements came together as a cohesive customer experience.

THE IDEA

WEST-MEX, WITH A SENSE OF PLACE.

The creative direction pulled from the intersection of Taco John's Western heritage and the character of Ames, Iowa.

Rather than creating a generic Southwestern restaurant, I looked for ways to make the environment feel more specific—bringing together elements of the Iowa landscape, local history, Western iconography, and Taco John's personality.