Marx Bagels

Project Narrative

The story of Marx Bagels begins over 50 years ago with John Marx, a.k.a. Bagelman. Marx was a hardworking entrepreneur with style and flair. His passion for bagels resulted in the doughnut shaped rolls becoming a standard fare in Cincinnati. With the store being bought by new owners, Reztark was asked to help establish a vision for the brand that would modernize the experience while maintaining the original character.

Evolving a brand that has been around for so long and loved by so many Cincinnatians required more than a dash of creativity. Our approach was to build on the roots of the brand. Embrace the historic deli charm and promote the authentic Kosher quality. This idea of elevating the stores look while preserving its identity was a central to our strategy.

We developed a comprehensive retail refresh program for the Blue Ash store that includes a new logo, brand collateral, marketing materials, environmental graphic design, interior design, and architecture. We know brand is only as strong as its weakest touchpoint, so we updated them all! As part of the rebrand process we gave new life to most everything, even the beloved brand mascot. We put our illustration skills to good use to reintroduce customers to Bagelman 2.0.

During the redesign of the store interior, we reorganized the flow of the space, integrating existing elements like original deli-style neon lights, while introducing a more functional features like an optimized sales counter, classic window seats and a more kosher restroom experience with ritual sink.

The goal was to create an environment where every customer feels like regular.

                                           

Project Details

Submission Category

Experiential Graphics- Large scale (environments or systems)

Date of Completion

March, 2022