Cazador (hunter, in Spanish), is a small family-run neighbourhood restaurant in Auckland specialising in wild game (staples include venison, hare, duck and offal). The restaurant first opened in 1987, and has become something of an institution.

Now in its 32nd year, and with it's second-generation owners, it was finally time to update their identity to better reflect who they are today; their ethos, dishes, rejuvenated interior, and award-winning eatery status.

Cazador has an intangible originality, oddity and quirk which needed to be reflected in the re-brand. The interior retains all it's original charm; from the stucco walls and taxidermy displays, to old framed family photos, olive green bench seats and dark wood tables.

We created a slightly eccentric, yet classic logotype that alludes to wild game with its antler-esk exaggerated serifs and knife-like chisels. Multiple iterations of the custom letters were drawn until it felt just right, and uniquely them. As a nod to the past, we retained the arrow from the original logo, but modernised it and added the supporting line: ‘1987 to today’. Inline with their ethos of no part of the animal going to waste, we sourced leather hide offcuts, and repurposed them for menu covers. The identity is an exercise in restraint and materiality.