Smoking Hearts BBQ is a new kind of venture for Studio Nice One, set up as a partnership with Food Studio; a food court inside of Colombo City Centre mall. We worked as part of a small team to create a new kind of food outlet for Colombo, not only to establish the restaurant but manage it thereafter. Consisting of a collaboration responsible for food & menu development, marketing, photography & video. Smoking Hearts was born out of the need for a quality BBQ spot in the city that focused on slow smoked meats in an immersive setting.

The concept was inspired by the idea of obsession and wanting more, with meats smoked with ‘tender, loving care’ , served with love to leave a lasting impression. A series of digital collages played on the idea of smoking meat & madness, driving people to distraction in search of their next fix with a smoking leopard adding a carnivorous Lankan spin. Our heartbreak icon was translated into a digital collage, with two steaks being put together to form the same shape.

We also collaborated with the interior designer on the project to ensure the smokehouse concept was conveyed through dark wood, leather trims and exposed lightbulbs, with our heartbreak brand mark being brought to life as a neon sign, as well as a custom made lightbox to bring focus the the BBQ stall with our distorted photocopied wordmark.

With ongoing social media management required, a clear colour palette and brand monochrome brand marks, alongside quirky typefaces enabled us to create posts for promotions with a cohesive feel, adding a strong branded feed alongside food photography by @youremyfavoritenyc.