The Bandit is a bar in the West Loop with a casual yet funky interior, quality food, craft cocktails, and a party atmosphere. The Bandit opened in 2018 and 6 years later was in need of a branding refresh. I compiled the three main design categories that influenced the brand: vintage beer signage and advertising, 90's music graphics, and retro video games. These graphic influences have been finding their way into the brand's vocabulary for years, so I created new branding that more directly drew upon them.
The Bandit's lower level is more food focused and feels like a neighborhood dive, with a huge miller lite tin sign hanging to your left right when you walk in. I collected vintage beer advertising and compiled branding that most heavily pulled from that imagery: featuring checkered and dotted patterns, distressed overlays, and a mixture of flat and hand done illustrations. The typography and color palette were also updated to reflect this inspiration.
The Bandit also has a second floor that opened in 2020, named Bandit on Two. Bandit on Two focuses more on nightlife and an excellent music program. This extension of the brand hadn't been given it's own branding, and we decided there was a need to tailor the Bandit on Two branding to its audience that is seeking a modern and trendy nightlife experience. The interior in Bandit on Two is filled with video game and 90's music references, so I pulled more heavily from that graphic inspiration when creating the Bandit on Two branding.
I also created a website for Bandit on Two that implements the new branding and allows to more specifically target the second floor's customer base.
