Thirst, led by Rick Valicenti, Nick Adam, and Anna Mort, collaborated to design the future of Noodles. Noodles (formerly known as Noodles & Company) is a publicly-traded, fast-casual restaurant chain, with over 450 locations nationally.
Noodles commissioned Thirst to design a comprehensive identity system and much like the noodle itself, the system’s recipe is composed of simple ingredients all with a connection to a bowl and a world of flavors.
The design process was intensely collaborative. By engaging the strategic messaging of Donna Speigel and interior architecture by Sarah Dunn and Martin Felsen of UrbanLab, a single harmonious design system was arrived at in under four months.
This work is currently being prototyped and tested.
Design Direction Rick Valicenti
Design Nick Adam and Anna Mort
Motion Graphics Suzie Shin
3-Dimensional Renderings Zach Minnich
Writing Donna Speigel
Architecture UrbanLab
Quick Pick Up TBD Innovation
Valicenti’s notes from day one
Initial sketches of the mascot and circular equites
The world, the bowl, and the noodle
Meeting notes in situ
Getting noodley came quick
Early idea — al dente noodle as mascot
many signatures quickly designed and discussed in initial testing sessions
Simple ingredients — the circle and the single unit
custom type contrasted with more legible type was tested and discussed
We dismissed early work
The first presentation began and ended with this slide
Images of Anthony Bordian’s global travels inspired custom furniture
Stoodle schematic
Test prototype of Stoodle