From humble beginnings as a pop-up dining experience taking over venues around central Auckland, to winning Metro Magazine’s Restaurant of the Year in 2024, Forest has been serving up innovative, sustainable and delicious dishes to the people of Tāmaki Makaurau (and beyond) for the past six years.

Forest is the brainchild of chef and owner Plabita Florence, who began the venture in 2018 as a series of pop-up events around the city. Working closely to her key ethos of low-to-no-waste, plant-forward, seasonal and often foraged ingredients, I designed a core identity for the brand that had nature at its heart. The wordmark was designed to be complimented by a suite of illustrations heroing Plabita’s most prized ingredients, whilst remaining simple enough that it could flex to suit the various themed pop-up events that Forest created. Among these events were collaborations with Kōkako Coffee, Wise Boys and Kelmarna Gardens, providing opportunities for more playful event identities promoted through their social media channels.

It didn’t take long before Forest graduated from their transient business model to a permanent location in Eden Terrace. Outgrowing this spot after a couple of years, the move to their current, larger location on Dominion Road qualified a brand refresh to compliment the more sophisticated space. The redesigned logo incorporates the playfulness and whimsy that characterise the dishes served in the restaurant, while also celebrating the organic and often imperfect processes of preserving and fermenting foods.