Mad Mex Fresh Mexican Grill

Mad Mex Fresh Mexican Grill operates in five locations in Sydney, Australia, offering the fresh tastes and bold flavors of Mexico and Southern California to a far-off continent.

Holy Cow! Design & Advertising developed the brand and visual identity for the chain, together with a range of promotional and operational collateral that conveys the unique visual identity.

Environmental graphics communicate the brand values to diners and create a dynamic aesthetic and a consistent ambience in each restaurant.

The Mad Mex brand is based around a lucha libre wrestler character, whose mission is to fight for flavor and defend freshness, vanquishing all lesser foods. The signature Mad Mex Mask environmental graphic forms the focal point of each restaurant.

The Holy Cow! team created the look of a traditional Mexican wrestling mask by combining areas of shaped Spanish text to display the brand values, such as Fresco (fresh). These messages are reinforced using color: green for Fresco (fresh), red for Sabor (flavor), and white for Puro (pure).

Another large-format illustration was created to complement the Mad Mex Mask. The illustrated “Patterna” (de la comida y la bebida or, “of the food and drink”) was created to graphically and typographically represent the fresh foods and flavors synonymous with the Mad Mex brand, in a style sympathetic to the existing environmental graphics.

To supplement the primary graphics, the team also created a series of faux advertising posters for Mexican wrestling events. These were created in the original style of posters of this genre, and feature the Mad Mex lucha libre wrestler character.

Menus and signage also support the brand, along with the award-winning Mad Mex website and online promotions.

Design Team

Lee Nicol, Lachlan Bruce, Alex Mustakov (concept, design, and artwork); Emma Gray (concept, design, artwork, client liaison); Melissa Webber (creative direction, client liaison)

Design Firm

Holy Cow! Design & Advertising

Fabricators

Signaction (graphics printing and installation, lightbox fabrication); Cuneen Signs (lightbox fabrication); Online Building Services (builder), Giant Design (interior architecture)