AIGA/DOT Symbol Signs: Restaurant
The pattern
This still is filed under Mark as compressed claim.
Define
The mark itself is the sentence: a monogram, a seal, a device that already means the claim.
Mechanism
Compression. Years of use, or a very sharp first use, load the device so it can appear without copy.
Verdict
The mark is already loaded, or we will spend to load it
Why it works
It uses the universal tools of Western dining as metonymy for food service. The bold, unadorned shapes are highly legible from a distance.
Steal this when
You need to represent dining or food service simply, without depicting specific food items which might alienate certain cultures. *Collection note: One of the 50 passenger and pedestrian symbols AIGA developed for the US DOT and released copyright-free; still the base layer of every airport wayfinding system* ---