My custom lettering for the “Observation Bar” name as well as the ship / attraction itself (left) is inspired by the Queen Mary’s historic print ephemera from the 1930s (right), reflecting both the ship’s Art Deco design and British heritage.
The design of the menu was heavily inspired by original menus from the Queen Mary’s 1936-67 service career, including heavy usage of Monotype’s Metro Nova typeface, a digital revival of the type used in the Queen Mary’s letterpress shop. The menu contents, too, reflect the ship’s history, and include many of the 1930s cocktails that were served on board the ship’s maiden voyage, contributing to the "stepping back in time” feeling of being in such an incredible, historic space.
Queen Mary Observation Bar Menu & Branding
Category: Print, Logos & Lettering
Client: The Queen Mary Observation Bar (Spec Work)
The RMS Queen Mary, one of the most famous ships in the world, sailed the Atlantic for 31 years from 1936 to 1967 before becoming a hotel and tourist attraction in Long Beach, California. Among the grandest spaces on board is the famous Observation Bar (originally referred to as the “Observation Lounge” in Cunard Line literature), and though there were some changes to the space when the ship was converted to shoreside use in the early 1970s, today the space is mostly identical to how it would have looked in 1936.
Today, there is a bit of a disconnect between the glamorous, Art Deco historic room on the famously British ship and the bar program. It seemed to me that in both design and content the current menu seemed to lean pretty heavily on a contemporary California vibe than a Queen Mary vibe. I started doing some research on the original Queen Mary cocktail and food menus from when she was in service. Using these and other Queen Mary and Cunard Line ephemera as inspiration, I created a new menu and branding for the Observation Bar, as well as a new logo for the ship itself, both with custom lettering. The menu items are also inspired by some of the drinks and food from the Queen Mary's heyday—balanced for modern tastes—contributing to a full experience of being on a 1930s transatlantic ocean liner.