As Creative Director for Don the Beachcomber, I have the privilege to be behind the scenes and work with our team as we put together the rebirth of DTB! We felt like Tiki Oasis was the perfect moment to finally share some of what we’ve been working on. So, on Friday, August 4th, we lifted the curtain at our “The Legend Returns” panel to reveal some sneak peaks at what you can expect when you’re finally able to walk in the door of the brand new Don the Beachcomber locations. I’d like to show you some of that today!
When Daniel Gallardo, aka Tiki Diablo, joined the Don the Beachcomber Advisory Board, he brought with him a design philosophy that we’re used as our “North Star.”
I’ve personally used this to guide the look and feel of the graphic design and illustration elements for our DTB branding and merch that I’ve worked on (Hey! You can get some of that merch right now at shop.donbeachcomber.com!) It’s been a fun challenge to create something that looks classic, while feeling modern, and that can also withstand the test of time!
This philosophy isn’t just meant for the new DTB merch, but also for the restaurant design, too. How do you create something that feels timeless? How do you create something that Donn himself would feel at home in? How do you invoke the 1930s while also using materials and methods from the 2020s? Well, you leave that in the hands of Mr. Tiki Diablo and our extremely talented and creative architecture design team.
Danny brought the team this concept sketch for the exterior of the restaurant. It’s got all the hallmarks of a classic tiki restaurant and bar…the soaring A-Frame entrance, lava rock details, wood and bamboo elements, exotic plants, illuminated fish floats, torches, and more. I look at this image nearly every day and I’m still blown away by it.
The next step was to turn this beautiful 2D sketch into something a little more lifelike. What you’re about to be shown as only been seen by a select few! Thanks to our amazing architecture design team, they’ve breathed life into Danny’s sketch…
Isn’t that fantastic?! Here’s another view, this one from the opposite side of the building…
I don’t know about you, but I can’t wait to order some food and enjoy a Zombie or two inside there!
Now, keep in mind, these are just early renderings and are subject to change. However, you can see that we’re dedicated to bringing you a fantastic experience even BEFORE you walk inside the doors! Wait until you see what we have up our sleeves for the INSIDE..unfortunately, some things have to remain a secret (at least for now!) Trust me when I say that it’ll be worth the wait!
Until next time,
JP