Customers today find regular menus boring. In fact, in today’s visual content age, customers of all ages like to see menus with vivid images, readable texts, and cohesive menu design. Something they can read even without reading it!
Whether your restaurant’s menu lacks any of these features or you need to redesign it completely, our article will help you for sure. We’ll share what key role visual content plays in online menu design, some essential photography tips, and examples.
Ready to revamp your menu to keep your loyal customers while attracting new ones? Read on.
4 Crucial Points When Designing an Online Menu
Menu design and printing should be a top priority. You must combine the right elements in a well-coordinated manner so that each element speaks for itself to the customers. Professionals like ChefOnline Print Media can help you attain that goal.
Customers must easily understand the layout, colours & hues, imagery, typography, etc., when a menu is presented to them. Four crucial points that make a top-notch online menu are described below:
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Following Style Guides and Design Principles
It’s no longer about grand design but rather how your brand can stand out from the crowd. The same goes for your restaurant’s menu design, which must speak to your brand’s unique voice. Your customers must instantly identify your brand image on your online menu design.
To ensure this, you must use style guides and design principles similar to your brand guidelines and personality. Develop these with your chef and other staff members, or hire a professional to do it for you.
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Best Practices of Readability and Optimum Layout
You don’t want your customers to get lost amidst the sea of information, including big words and images, do you? In that case, your menu should be readable enough that it automatically guides customers’ eyes in the right direction.
Optimum layout and high readability go hand in hand. So, design your menu so that customers can explore and discover food categories, main dishes, sides, extras, prices, and food information in a natural flow.
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The Excellence of the Right Typography
Making your customers go ‘wow’ with your online menu design can be tricky. However, with the right typography and guidelines, you can help them get the right message about your brand.
The right typography creates a symmetrical appeal in customers’ eyes. Depending on the type of restaurant or cafe you’re running, the typography must use a small but effective selection of fonts, colours, and sizes.
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Added Value of Skilled Photography
Skilled photography and imagery can elevate your restaurant’s brand. When customers see intriguing photos of fresh veggies, warm soups, smouldering kebabs, or sizzling roasts on your a la carte menu, their appetites increase.
Remember not to add distracting images, which can make it hard for customers to make decisions. Instead, add authentic and lively photos so your customers know what to expect from the kitchen.
5 Essential Photography Tips for Online Menu Design
Use the following tips to elevate your restaurant’s menu design and make your dishes elegant in customers’ eyes:
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Get a Professional Photographer
Depending on your smartphone to take amazing photos of your menu may not always work. In fact, it may backfire if you don’t take quality photos that serve the actual purpose.
Hence, hire a professional photographer who understands the grammar of photography, including angles, texture, lights, depth, appeal, etc. Furthermore, a professional will do the post-production editing on your behalf so that the photos cater to your menu’s requirements.
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Showcase the Ambiance of Your Restaurant
Today’s foodies in the UK are not only looking for stunning menu designs but also for a pleasant restaurant ambience. Whether they dine in or make takeaway orders, a positive and intriguing ambience matters.
So, while photographing your menu, don’t forget to showcase the dining experience in your restaurant. Highlight the interior, exterior, entrance, additional features, etc., on your menu design.
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Visualise Highlight Dishes
There’s no point in imagery on the menu if your highlight or iconic dishes aren’t selling. To ensure they do, visualise those dishes in their actual forms or use clear icons on the menu.
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Follow the Rule of the Third
Learning the ‘Rule of the Third’ will be useful when taking photos of your food. This fundamental technique uses vertical and horizontal lines to portray the subjects in the correct measurements, including lights, angles, etc.
If you can’t do it yourself, hiring a professional can do the trick.
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Explore Various Angles
Professional photography entails shooting foods from various angles, not just straight at them. Different dishes have different appeals, and effective photography must help you visualise these appeals.
For instance, pizzas, desserts, and salads are flat dishes that look more appetising from top-angle photo shoots. However, dishes with depth and height look better when taken from side angles.
Key Takeaways
Menu design and printing have become vital requirements for restaurant businesses in the UK. Visual content plays a key role in this, and skilled photography is essential to ensure that.
The tips and examples shared in this article will guide you to your next online menu design. However, keep the following things in mind when you do so:
- Follow style guides and design principles for optimum typography and readability.
- Hire a professional photographer if you have to.
- Showcase your restaurant’s ambience besides highlighting dishes.
