the gas project

Rita is the second venture by Kelda Hains and Paul Schrader of Nikau Cafe fame. A small dining room, in a small converted shop, on a small street in Aro Valley. The menu is small too, because its a set menu and changes depending on what’s available from the garden and what’s good from their suppliers. The interior is by Mary Daish. In short, it’s a thing of beauty. We were more than happy to help out with an identity and some small pieces of print work. Go now.

‘Eat Up’ is something we all probably heard while growing up, normally followed by something like ‘or you won’t get pudding’. The fault normally fell at the feet of your mother’s over-cooked Brussel sprouts, or in my case it was mum’s boiled potatoes. Thankfully Al Brown’s new book (which we designed) Eat Up doesn’t include tips on how to ruin good vegetables, but quite the opposite. Humble vegetables and meat cuts are treated like Foie Gras — there are no lesser ingredients in this book. Recipes and writing by Al Brown and Hayden Scott, photos by Josh Griggs, cover by Geoffrey Notman, and a bonus bach and crib poster in the back by Lisa Moes. Eat it up.

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No 7 Balmac is a cafe / restaurant on Maori Hill in Dunedin. For a number of years it’s been faithfully serving locals and visitors with fresh flavours from ingredients largely grown in their own garden. After a recent interior upgrade it was felt the old identity could do with a bit of a refresh too. This was one of those surprise commissions where we had no idea when starting the project just what an amazing place this is, peopled with very passionate, skilled folks in a corner of Dunedin we’d never explored. We worked up a new identity focussed on applewood (which they cook on) and developed new menus, signage, website and postcards. Just go.

This post has been a long time coming. Al Brown’s The Federal Delicatessen opened a few years ago and has been going from strength the strength. Gas worked alongside Al and architect Charlie Nott to bring a little bit of NYC to downtown Auckland. An ongoing pleasure.

Earlier this year we resisted the urge to automatically reach for the black pencils, and instead we dug out our coloured ones to work up an identity for a new recruitment app called mploy. Created by a couple of guys in the hospitality sector, mploy is looking to shake the temp agency market up, and has just launched. 

It’s been finished for a while, but we finally got a shot in after she had a bit of a clean. Frame and paint by Dario Pegoretti, hoops by Wheelworks.

We were wise enough to take on the design for this book called Mauri Ora, Wisdom from the Maori World by Peter Alsop and Te Rau Kupenga, published by Potton & Burton. Printed in two colours and featuring images from various collections, the book offers a unique perspective on the world of Maori. Available from any good bookstore, and here.

This is, for all intents and purposes, New Zealand’s first vermouth, created by the ever clever folks at Mt Edward (makers of some pretty choice pinot and riesling too). Inspired by Polish theatre posters and Bowie (RIP), the illustration is by Callum Robertson, art direction and design by Gas. Available at selected cafes, bars and restaurants. Negroni time.

Frasers cafe is in Mt Eden, Auckland, and makes (by many peoples opinion) the best cakes and coffee in the city. What they don’t do is update their interiors much, it being 18 years since the space was given any sort of love. We were approached, along with Charlie at Nott Architects (together as Two Right Group) to update the space after the building had been strengthened. As well as making the space more luxe, we created a new logo, website and menu design, as well as supplying some tasty props for the shelves, including an early Viner racing bike.

Gas, along with Nott Architects, working under the Two Right moniker, created the first Auckland presence for L’affare. Housed on a back street in Newmarket in an old industrial space, we designed a roastery, cafe and office space based on a Madmen meets Goldfinger theme (we had inherited some mid century furniture from the old CEO). Coffee up!