GALLOW GREEN
Branding • Poster Design • Menu Design
Gallow Green was a rooftop bar and restaurant that sat atop The McKittrick Hotel. A verdant garden in the middle of bustling Chelsea, visitors are welcomed to a lush retreat as they get off the elevator to dine here. As an extension of The McKittrick Hotel, the restaurant exists in the speakeasy world of 1939.
Each year, I was tasked with designing the main poster for Gallow Green, as well as the menu, which changed seasonally. For this year, I took inspiration from turn-of-the-century botanical journals, as well as vintage European liquor ads.
Poster
The main poster for Gallow Green became a best-seller in The McKittrick’s merchandise shop. I was inspired by vintage botanical journals, as well as my own love of cocktail making.
Many of the illustrations are taken from 1800s naturalists’ journals and past events at the venue. As an extension of the risqué world of The McKittrick Hotel, many of the flowers are suggestive, giving viewers a hint of the debauchery in the rest of the building.
MENU
I designed the Gallow Green menu to be an extension of the poster. Diners would open a leather-bound book to find two menus (food & libations) inside. The menu feels like opening up a naturalist’s journal, complete with scientific classifications of the flora and fauna. While the poster shows all of these discoveries at once, the menu focuses in detail on each entry, loosely themed to the corresponding menu category.
Also included in this booklet were postcards for The McKittrick’s other shows and restaurants, including Gallow Green’s own Champagne Brunch.
Champagne Brunch
My love of cocktail making and design has led me to find a lot of unique liquor ads over the years. This ad for Gallow Green’s Champagne Brunch is a retooling of a turn-of-the-century wine ad. The champagne label had been changed to advertise Gallow Green, with “Ulula Cum Lupis” a reference to Sleep No More.
Sunset Sundays
Every Sunday during the summer season, Gallow Green would host live musicians during their dinner service. While designing this poster, I was going for a laidback vibe – Sunset Sundays promises relaxed music in a leafy oasis in the middle of the city. The band is viewed through the leaves, as if the viewer is discovering Sunset Sundays almost by accident. It’s a feeling many guests feel when going to Gallow Green for the first time – a secret rooftop garden in the middle of the city.