Visual Marketing: 99 Proven Ways for Small Businesses to Market with Images and Design

90. It's a Family Affair: Making Your Business Story Come to Life with a Beautifully Designed Print Piece

When Philadelphia's Penn's View Hotel celebrated its 20th anniversary, it wanted to offer a unique takeaway for guests of the festivities celebrating the family-owned and-operated hotel and its restaurant, Ristorante Panorama. Nicola Black Design suggested creating a booklet of family recipes to incorporate the restaurant's history into something personal and reflective of the family, who has made the business successful over the years. The booklet of recipes was a hit with party guests, so the hotel/restaurant decided to continue distribution beyond the event.

Why It Works

This hotel and restaurant have a story, and it's one that is told through good food. By providing a cookbooklet to guests, Penn's View successfully brings those guests into its collective family. It's clear that this isn't a corporate-run hotel, and its family history is one that makes the hotel that much more endearing.

“The family history element was important in creating the piece, so the recipes they've used throughout the 20 years of business seemed like a fun way to celebrate, literally giving clients a taste of their history,” says designer Nicola Black. The booklet is filled with beautiful photography ...