The birth of El Fenix began in 1918 when Miguel Martinez left his beloved town in Mexico and moved to Dallas, Texas.
Confident he understood what type of food Dallasites would enjoy, he turned his modest cafe into a Mexican restaurant and renamed his business El Fenix, meaning "The Phoenix," which appealed to his dearly held philosophy of turning setbacks into assets.
Over time the El Fenix Menu evolved into a new innovative style, now dubbed Tex-Mex. In 2018, El Fenix celebrated their centennial year since its grand opening.
However, fear of losing public interest has risen as several locations begin to close and new neighboring TEX-MEX competitors emerge. Many of their past patrons were also immigrants who missed a taste of home. Still, now their voice needs to shift focus on patrons who, after several generations later, now take pride in calling themselves Tejanos.
I decided to reimagine the El Fenix brand by taking the audience back to the family's embracing and celebration of their Mexican-American heritage.
Their taglines play in culture and recipes from both sides of the border that personify into family traits. For the graphics, I drew inspiration from the traditional Mexican talavera patterns, mid-century Dallas marquees, post cards, and hand-lettered signage/murals from 1950's little Mexico located in Dallas, TX. This was done to further emphasis El Fenix's authenticity, heritage, and humble beginnings.
