Taco Mac brand guidelines
The Taco Mac Brand Book details general principles to achieve a consistent representation of the brand design, personality, and values across every touchpoint. Using this book as a guide to creating experiences that are in alignment with the brand will require you to use your best judgement when approaching new implementations.
language
Consistency of language and tone are the core that holds the identity together.
Keep in mind these values when creating any type of communication.
Taco Mac Brand Statement
Taco Mac is Georgia's neighborhood bar.
Since 1979, our world-class wings, curated craft beer menus, and love for our home teams have set the scene for friends and family to gather and celebrate moments of all sizes. We offer an experience focused on quality, driven by outstanding service, and supported by those who are proud to call Taco Mac their home bar.
Brand Pillars
our quality
hometown pride
craft beer
sports atmosphere
It starts with the wings
our Quality
As the home of the Southeast’s Original Buffalo Wing, quality is at the center of everything we do. It’s a mindset.
Our focus on quality began with our Wings, and today, they’re a catalyst for quality across our organization. In the same way we never skimp on serving the best locally sourced, fresh Wings, we extend those standards of excellence to our guests at every touchpoint.
Whether that’s eating a juicy burger in our dining room, enjoying a fresh, cold beer at the bar, placing an order online or interacting on social media, quality is always at our core.
Our communities drive us
hometown pride
When our fans talk about our restaurants, they talk about “my” Taco Mac.
We’re Georgia’s Neighborhood bar, and it’s apparent wherever you go. Each Taco Mac is a staple of its neighborhood and for many, the local go-to sports bar.
We celebrate that locality in each of our communities and focus our efforts on being the best neighbors we can by supporting local causes, partnering with schools, sponsoring little league teams, and of course, providing the best food and service around. We’re a proud product of Atlanta and bring Southern hospitality to everything we do.
The great uniter
craft Beer
When we say we have the most craft on draft, we mean it. We take pride in not only having one of the first craft beer menus in Atlanta, but in our partnerships with local breweries and continual leadership in the craft beer scene around the state. While our beer knowledge is top-notch, our Pint Nights iconic, and our tap lines always clean, we recognize the real magic of beer is in its ability to bring people together.
No matter if you’re hunting down rare pours, or just looking for an old favorite, our knowledgeable team members are here to make sure you find the right choice.
Sports is the glue
the atmosphere
Sports, both local and professional, is the fabric that brings our communities together. From dinner after little league games to Braves, Falcons, and Hawks championships (one can dream), we’ve been Georgia’s place to celebrate victories both on and off the field for more than 40 years.
Whether you’re diehard and want to pay attention to every second of action, or you just enjoy the background noise, sports connects our communities and creates a lively, active atmosphere that engages all within it.
voice and tone
Our brand voice is how we speak to the world. A defined brand voice helps us own
a distinct personality and remain consistent across our communications.
Depending on context, our tone might vary slightly from one
entity to another, but we should never stray from our core brand voice.
brand voice
Taco Mac is your drinking buddy. We’re easy to get along with, comfortable in a crowd, and are knowledgeable without ever seeming pretentious. But, when it comes to beer, wings, and sports, we know what we’re talking about. We always aim to inform but never have a know-it-all or pompous attitude. We are also true Atlantans and take pride in our roots as some of the last remaining originals around the city we love and celebrate each neighborhood we’re a part of.
The Taco Mac persona on social media is laid back, conversational, and should feel like a friend you follow online. A friend that wants you to visit their business, but a friend nonetheless. As Georgia’s Neighborhood Bar, we always remain neighborly and welcoming.
We Are
Positive and engaging
Locally Minded and Involved
An open minded beer expert
Approachable and laid back
Informed And Opinionated
A fellow Fan
We Are Not
Another chain restaurant
Rude or Aggressive
Political
Loud
exclusive
tone
Our tone evolves day to day based on current events, happenings around the restaurants, and seasonal changes. We want to maintain a voice that people are comfortable engaging with, learn from (beer knowledge, restaurant news, food quality) and find humorous.
Below are the categories that influence our tone most regularly.
Food
wings are the thing
high quality menu
beer
beer knowledge
beer of the month
locality
sports
sports knowledge
Atmosphere/Story posts
sports celebration
food
It started with wings, but we carry the same standard of quality throughout our entire menu.
wings are the thing
Chicken isn’t the most complicated topic, but it’s important we always convey a quality message around them and stay excited about just how good they really are. Messaging should often include mentions of using local Springer Mountain chicken which is always fresh, our unique selection of homemade rubs and sauces, and that our wings are always juicy and cooked to perfection. Our story of quality starts with the wings.
Maybe it’s the bright colors or just that people love chicken, but followers tend to really engage with wing photos. A simple question of “drums or flats?” or “ranch or bleu cheese?” tends to get people fired up and engaging with posts. There is also zero shame in a wing glamor shot- post often and with gusto.
high quality menu
Our food quality doesn’t end with famous wings. We put the same level of attention and work into every recipe we create from cocktails to burgers. We make our cult favorite ranch and blue cheese dressings in house, hand smash every burger patty, and cook every item on the menu fresh to order. No corner cutting or imitations. Our quality message may start with wings, but it’s apparent in every part of our menu.
When promoting menu items, copy should always have a message centered on the work put in to make our menu the best it can possibly be. Speak to fresh, local ingredients, unique prep methods, and homemade items when appropriate. No matter what dish is being promoted or displayed, the focus should be on capturing quality through professional photography which shows cravable details of dishes. (*see photography section for further guidance)
beer
We've known great beer since 1979. Atlanta's first craft beer bar is still one of the best.
beer knowledge
Brewniversity members and general beer aficionados are an important segment of our followers both in person and on social media. Beer knowledge posts should be accurate, timely, and go beyond the basics.
While the beer community is kind and inviting, they’re not afraid to call out misinformation or old news. Posts about beer deserve a confident and authoritative perspective to continue building our reputation as a destination for drinking and leader of beer knowledge.
beer of the month
Our monthly feature of a different brewery for Pint Night is a great opportunity to shout out some of our favorite local and national breweries and build up our relationships with them. We post at least 4 times each month to feature each weekly giveaway and usually announce the new brewery with a shot of all the swag for the month together. Posts typically mention (1) something interesting about the beer (flavor notes, any tidbits of info about limited release, etc.) (2) the giveaway for the week, and (3) a Pint Night CTA.
*Important note: We should never imply a purchase is required to receive the weekly giveaway. “Drink the beer, Keep the glass” or “take home some swag for Pint Night” style language is appropriate.
locality
Our reputation and recognition amongst local breweries and drinkers is strong and should be highlighted often. We love featuring breweries not only for BOTM, but because we love their beer and being part of such a vibrant community.
Our local position as beer thought leaders is best reflected by supporting our local brewery partners and representing them well as part of the growing Georgia beer family.
sports
We also welcome sports fans no matter where you’re from or who you cheer for. We’re all neighbors, even if we argue about sports.
Sports knowledge
We always position ourselves as the #1 hometeam fan, and thus, the #1 hometeam bar. We recognize that our city has a sordid history with sports and that disappointment is just something we’re used to at this point. Subtly injecting humor when it comes to local sports is key.
Atmosphere/story posts
Posting to stories is a great way to keep the Taco Mac name top of mind for followers and also give fans shoutouts. User generated content offers an organic and real look into the atmosphere of our restaurant and food quality. Reposted posts should be high quality (i.e. no poorly lit or half eaten food photos) and always feel celebratory, especially during games. We also love reposting our local teams pages with score updates or big sporting news. Live stories from stores on events like the Super Bowl or National Wing Day are a great way to engage with fans throughout the day/event and pique their interest to come in or order online.
sports celebration
With so many transplants in Atlanta, we never want to alienate a fan base or make them feel like we’re only a home team bar. While we’ll obviously cheer on our local teams, we welcome fans of all to celebrate, boo, or commiserate over sports at our bar.
visual identity
The taco mac visual identity system is built upon visual principles like layout, whitespace,
rule of thirds and hierarchy. To effectively define and maintain our brand, adhere to the guidelines
and frameworks shown below, as taco mac expressed across a wide variety of touchpoints.
Primary brandmark
The Taco Mac Brandmark is the face of the brand. It is the one element that is used
on all communication elements and it should always be used in the following manner.
The Brandmark is the most important design element in the Taco Mac brand.
variations
Wordmark
The wordmark may be used in situations where the full Taco Mac Brandmark
will not fit in a particular layout. The wordmark may also be used in more
formal collateral (business cards, letterhead, email signature etc).
typography
Primary display: Veneer one
Veneer is the primary display typeface for Taco Mac. It is typically used at larger sizes for headlines.
It comes in three versions, each with varying levels of “distress”. Feel free to mix and match them to
achieve a more authentic weathered look. Especially for large headers with repeating characters.
primary
primary -distressed
primary -more distressed
veneer one
veneer two
veneer three
secondary display: thirsty rough
Thirsty Rough is also used as a display typeface to support Veneer as a subhead or lead-in. It is to be used at large and
medium sizes and limited no more than 5 words. Thirsty Rough comes in two different weights, Regular and Bold,
which may both be used. In most cases Thirsty Rough should be set in title case with the tracking set to 0pt.
regular
bold
Thirsty Rough
Thirsty Rough Bold
paragraph typeface: poppins
Poppins Medium and Poppins Light are to be used for body copy and subheads.
They should be used a medium to small sizes. Default to using Poppins Medium for all
body copy and use Poppins Light for secondary body copy (like fine print).
primary
secondary
Poppins Medium
Poppins Light
hierarchy
Establishing the correct hierarchy with our typefaces is the ultimate goal in creating
effective typographic communication pieces. Below is an example of how headlines, subheads and
body copy should work together. Take time to understand our typographic hierarchy system.
Subhead
headline
title
paragraph
Color palette
The Taco Mac color palette is simple and bold.
Only the colors below should be used in communication pieces.
TM Red
White
TM Blue
TM Black
Pure Black
Note: The color White is acceptable to use as part of the Taco Mac color palette.
The brick pattern is to be used in print material backgrounds and the
white plaster pattern is to be used in digital backgrounds.
social templates
plaster background
chicken wing frame
CTA Button
photography
Just like language and brand assets, photography is a continuation of our brand and
should speak to the same levels of quality and personality apparent in all other touchpoints.
All Taco Mac photography should be shot on a professional quality camera with proper lighting
and equipment. While each restaurant offers different light and space considerations, editing should
keep photography consistent and within the established styles. Photos should be well lit for strong
contrast, brightly colored, and extra sharp to show food and beer quality.
Food photography
Food photography should show off the quality of each dish we serve with sharp, colorful, dramatic shots. Wings in particular photograph very well with assertive lighting to show detail. Close ups of food should always be styled naturally to look as appetizing as possible without misrepresenting the dish as it would be served. People interacting with food are best posed instead of actively eating.
Sports and Lifestyle photography
Sports photography should always feel celebratory and playful. The main goal is to show we're the place to have a great time watching the game no matter who you're rooting for. Groups are preferred for all lifestyle shots and should feel neighborly and welcoming. Staff are best photographed during active service in composed situations to show the action of the restaurant.
beer photography
As beer authorities, our brew photography should always feature beautifully poured beers in clean glasses where the bar is tidy. Beer quality and bar quality and appearance go hand in hand. Beer of the Month photos should always capture all giveaway items individually and as a group. While some beers on their own should be static for promotional purposes, interactive shots with hands and people drinking are always preferred.
Offsite shoots such as breweries are always different. It’s best to let the brewery representative lead the way to find the most interesting and unique shots. Use your best judgement when capturing the space to show off our brewery partners well.
To-Go and Offsite photography
When shooting to-go photos for promotion and social, the “Your Local Wingman” bag should always be present. If photographing food in a non restaurant location, keeping to go containers in the shot or a branded item should present to identify the brand is key. Plating the food as if you’re at home or on a picnic is great as long as the brand is visible in some way. Take time to style the food out of the container while keeping it natural.
If you have further questions , feel free to contact marketing@tacomac.com