Brand identity for GAMBITO, a Cajun seafood restaurant on Margarita Island, Venezuela. Built from just a name into a full system: logo suite, hand-drawn mascot, color, typography and applications across the restaurant.

GAMBITO is a seafood restaurant on Margarita Island, Venezuela, serving Cajun-style seafood boils: shrimp, corn, potatoes and sausage, served by the bag and shared at the table. It is for everyone, families and groups of friends of every age, looking for a casual meal built around seafood.

The owner came with a name and nothing else. My job was to give the restaurant its entire visual identity, ready to open its doors.

Cajun seafood is uncommon in Venezuela. The identity had to introduce a new food concept on the island and make it feel inviting at first sight, to locals and visitors of every age.

It also had to launch a brand from zero: one system flexible enough to cover the storefront, menu, uniforms, packaging, merchandise and social media from day one.

A seafood boil is loud, hands-on and made for sharing. The identity carries that spirit, with an island attitude to match Margarita.

A character as the face of the brand. A hand-drawn shrimp in a bucket hat, flashing a peace sign, gives GAMBITO a friendly host that makes an unfamiliar cuisine easy to approach.

Lettering with personality. Bold, rounded letterforms with playful quirks keep the name readable from across the street while matching the mascot’s tone.

A warm, appetizing palette. Red-orange, orange, sand and off-white come straight from cooked shrimp and Cajun spice, chosen to feel pleasant and trustworthy.

Fresh and simple. Minimal elements, so the brand reads instantly on a sign, a bag or a phone screen.

The system is documented in a brand guide that covers every element and how to use it:

Logos: primary logo with mascot, secondary logotype, positive and negative versions.

Mascot: a standalone brand symbol, usable in all brand colors except black.

Color: #DB4008 red-orange, #FA8A38 orange, #EFEBEA off-white and #CF8852 sand.

Typography: Hore for headlines and large titles; Palmer Lake for supporting text.

Icons: four seafood icons drawn in the same line style as the mascot.

Usage rules: clear space based on the height of the “G”, a minimum size of 3.5 cm in print and 80 px on screen, and examples of incorrect use.

The identity was applied across every touchpoint of the restaurant. The mascot and lettering change scale, color and context, from a building facade to a loyalty card, without losing recognition.

My role: Brand designer and illustrator. I worked alone on the full identity, from the logo and hand-drawn mascot to the brand guide and every application.

Scope: Visual identity, logo design, mascot illustration, color and typography system, icons, brand guidelines, menu, print, packaging, signage, uniforms, merchandise and social media design.

Tools: Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Photoshop, Figma.

Deliverables: Brand guide; logo suite and mascot in AI, SVG, PNG, JPEG and PDF; editable source files for every piece; menu; loyalty card; packaging, signage, uniform and merchandise designs; social media and poster templates.

GAMBITO opened with a complete identity in place from day one, bringing a Cajun seafood concept to Margarita Island with a brand that is easy to recognize and easy to like. The restaurant uses the system across its space and its Instagram, and the client received every file editable to keep the brand consistent as it grows.

See the brand in use: https://www.instagram.com/gambito_mgta/