An arch in the header
Souk frames the header in a slightly pointed horseshoe arch, drawn with a thick rule and a thin one, resting on a two-line base. At the keystone sits an eight-pointed star. Inside are the venue’s name in El Messiri, a soft typeface with a calligraphic feel, and the subtitle in italics. A fine rule runs round the page, with a star in each corner.
Section titles are in terracotta, centred, above a divider of a star and diamonds between rules. Dishes are set in Source Serif, with dot leaders to the price, which is set in El Messiri in the accent colour. A featured dish sits in a niche: a soft background topped with an arch.
The menu it suits
Lebanese, Middle Eastern and Moroccan restaurants, shawarma and kebab shops, and mezze menus: cold and hot mezze, grills, oven dishes, sweets and teas. Price columns (half and full portion, or glass and bottle) line up under their headings.
It is a warm but restrained style. The ornament is concentrated in the arch and the stars, and the dishes area stays clean and easy to read. If you are interested in mezze from the other side of the Mediterranean, compare it with Aegean.
Formats where it shines
- Two-column A4: the full menu under its arch.
- Slim A4 or A5: one column, with a slightly narrower arch.
- Weekly menu on landscape A4: the arch presides over the days of the week.
- Booklet: the cover is a large doorway arch with the name inside.
If you prefer a Mediterranean courtyard-and-tile feel, look at Azulejo.
Tips to get the most out of it
- Group cold and hot mezze into their own sections and say in the note if they are served to share.
- Write each dish the way people order it (hummus, moutabal, tabbouleh, falafel) and explain in the description what goes into it.
- If your venue’s name is long, it splits over two lines and the arch grows downwards: no need to abbreviate it.
- Mark sesame, nuts and gluten dish by dish: they come up often in this cuisine.
Colours, fonts, columns and format can all be changed in the editor without losing the design. It works on A4, US Letter, slim A4, A5, booklet, tri-fold, A3 and images for social media.