Learn

Menu Design Ideas and Examples

- by Jessica Harsora

Menu design ideas explore creative and effective strategies for designing menus that captivate customers, enhance the dining experience, and boost sales.

Table of Content

1. Menu Design Ideas

2. How to Make a Menu Design
3. Tips For Menu Design

Menu Design Ideas

1. Trifold Menu Design Ideas

Firstly, a tri-fold menu design is a popular and practical format for presenting a restaurant’s offerings. Therefore it consists of three panels that fold together, allowing for a visually appealing layout that showcases various dishes, drinks, and pricing options in a concise and easily navigable manner.

Tri-fold menu layout elements:

  • Use basic text and color combinations that are adequate and leave everything to the customer’s imagination.
  • Add fonts that reflect the Mexican aesthetic, such as bold and playful typefaces that evoke a sense of energy and excitement.
  • Use Photo elements in your menu to attract the customer to your restaurant.
  • Quick turnaround
  • Color can also be used on one or both sides.

2. Simple Menu Design

A simple menu design focuses on clarity and ease of use, utilizing clean lines, ample white space, and a legible font also, it typically includes straightforward sections for appetizers, entrees, desserts, and beverages, with concise descriptions and visually appealing accents to highlight key items.

Simple menu layout elements:

  • Use White Space Well
  • Utilize clean lines
  • Includes straightforward sections for foods
  • Focuses on clarity and ease of use typefaces

3. Cartoon Menu Design Ideas

Cartoon menu designs incorporate playful and whimsical elements, featuring colorful illustrations, caricatures of food items, and vibrant typography to create a fun and engaging dining experience. In short, this design concept appeals to a younger audience and adds a lighthearted touch to the menu presentation.

Cartoon Menu layout elements:

  • Add a colorful palette in your to attract customers 
  • Use playful elements, colorful illustrations, and caricatures of food items
  • Use vibrant typography to create a fun and engaging dining experience

4. Consider Boxes for Menu Design Idea 

This design idea that incorporates boxes utilizes a structured layout with individual sections enclosed in boxes, creating an organized and visually appealing presentation. Each box can contain menu items, descriptions, as well as corresponding images, allowing for clear differentiation between categories and an organized browsing experience for customers.

Utilizes boxes in menu layout elements:

  • The names of the dishes are written in bold, black typography against a white and blue background.
  • Calming color combination 
  • Use graphic images in your menu.
  • utilizes a structured layout with individual sections enclosed in boxes

5. Chalkboard-Themed Menu Design Ideas

The Chalkboard menu design is inspired by old-fashioned blackboards and also uses hand-drawn writing and pictures on a black background. This design gives the menu a rustic and nostalgic look, making it feel authentic and traditional however, it’s often used in cozy and vintage-style cafes, bistros, and restaurants.

Chalkboard menu layout elements:

  • Use hand-drawn elements, typography, and illustrations
  • Always use dark color backgrounds like black, dark brown, and dark green.
  • Use simple or hand-written fonts

6. Halloween Menu Design Ideas

Halloween menu designs make your dining experience fun and spooky and they use unique fonts and pictures of bats, pumpkins, witches, and ghosts. In short, the menu items might have playful names based on Halloween and also use dark or eerie colors to make it feel more like Halloween.

Halloween menu layout elements:

  • Choose spooky and playful elements to create a memorable dining experience
  • Use Halloween-themed fonts to give a Halloween atmosphere
  • Add images like bats, pumpkins, witches, and ghosts inspired by Halloween themes or characters
  • Add colors like vibrant colors, and watercolor effects to attract your customers

7. Menu Design Ideas with Food Photos

A menu design idea with photos uses pictures of the food and drinks served and helps customers see what the menu items look like. However, it makes the menu more appealing and helps customers decide what to order, also makes the dining experience more exciting by showing tasty-looking pictures.

“Better to use no photos than bad photos”

Utilizes photos in menu layout elements:

  • Use high-quality photos on your menu to get excited and mouth-watering your customers
  • Add images to represent your food and cuisine
  • Consider enframed photography or open composition layout for your menu

8. Floral Design Theme in Menus

Floral design menu ideas use pretty flower patterns and designs on the menu. However, this makes the menu look elegant and beautiful and also creates a nice and welcoming atmosphere for customers.

Floral design menu layout elements:

  • Use floral motifs in your menu 
  • Add sophisticated typography 
  • Consider color schemes like pastel colors, and vibrant colors.

9. Classic Menu Design Ideas

Classic menus take inspiration from timeless beauty. They use fancy writing, decorative borders, and traditional layouts and also make the menu look sophisticated and professional. It often uses calm colors and neat lines to create a polished and everlasting menu look.

Classic menu layout elements:

  • Use elegant typography and traditional layouts
  • Add subtle colors and clean lines
  • Consider using elements like creative borders,  and thin curves

10. Eye Movement Menu Pattern Design 

Pattern designs in menus arrange things in a specific way to help people look at the menu easily. It guides their eyes from one place to another, like from the top left to the bottom right. This makes it natural and easy to browse the menu. This design idea also helps highlight important menu items and makes the menu easy to read.

Different patterns in menu layout elements:

  • Put high-margin dishes at the top left, top right, and center of your menu.
  • Add different patterns to represent your items
  • Add Modern typefaces

11. Minimalist Menu Design Ideas

A minimalist menu design keeps things simple and clean. It uses a lot of empty space, simple writing, and subtle decorations to make the menu look modern and neat. In short, the goal is to make the menu readable and prioritize the important stuff and also create a nice and tidy dining experience for customers.

Minimalist menu layout elements:

  • Consider simplicity and clean aesthetics
  • Minimalist typography and subtle accents create a modern menu presentation
  • utilized ample white space

12. Food Truck Menu Design Idea

A food truck menu design idea uses bright colors, big writing, and fun pictures that match the food truck’s style. Also, makes the menu look exciting and grabs people’s attention. In short, the goal is to show off the food truck’s personality, display the menu options, and attract customers in a fast and mobile dining setting.

Food truck menu layout elements:

  • Use vibrant color combinations
  • Add bold typography that reflects the food truck’s branding
  • Use unique graphic design styles

13. Reduce the Choices in Menu Design Ideas

Limiting the choices in menu design means offering a small selection of carefully chosen menu items. Each category has fewer options. This makes it easier for customers to decide what to order. In short, the goal is to show off the high quality and specialness of the dishes and make the ordering process simpler.

Reduce the choices in menu layout elements:

  • Reduce the Burden of Choice
  • Use of white space
  • Add graphics elements

14. Fancy Design Menu Ideas

Fancy menu design ideas use fancy and fancy-looking things such as pretty borders, fancy decorations, and fancy writing. This makes the menu look luxurious and expensive. In short, it creates a feeling of being fancy and refined, like in fancy restaurants where they want to give you a special and fancy dining experience.

Fancy menu layout elements:

  • Use different elements such as borders, and flourishes
  • Add fancy typography
  • Consider using calming color combination

15. Power of Words In Different Cuisine

The power of words plays a significant role in evoking the essence and allure of different cuisines. Using descriptive and enticing words specific to each cuisine, such as “authentic,” “spicy,” or “savory,” can evoke a sense of cultural richness and flavor profiles, enticing customers to explore and indulge in diverse culinary experiences.

Let’s see some examples of various foods’ use of language to convey meaning:

American Cuisine

“Barbecue” – This word conjures images of smoky and flavorful grilled meats, symbolizing the traditional American culinary style and gathering around the grill.

Thai Cuisine

“Aroy” (Delicious!) – This word encapsulates the vibrant and harmonious flavors found in Thai dishes, signifying the deliciousness of the cuisine.

French Cuisine

“Délicieux!” (Delicious!) – This word reflects the elegance and sophistication of French cuisine, emphasizing exquisite taste and flavors.

Power of words in menu layout elements:

  • Use different words to evoke the essence of different cuisine
  • Use descriptive and enticing words specific to each cuisine
  • Add luxurious typography

16. Geometrics Design Menu Ideas

Geometric design menu ideas use simple shapes, straight lines, and modern writing to make the menu look cool and modern. Also can use patterns and shapes to make the menu look balanced and interesting. It creates a fun and exciting dining experience for customers.

Geometric menu layout elements:

  • Use geometric shapes, elements, patterns, and clean lines in your menu
  • Add modern typography to create a contemporary look
  • Add a vibrant color combination

17. Abstract Menu Design Ideas

Abstract menu design ideas use artistic and creative elements such as weird shapes, patterns, and colors also make the menu look cool and different. In short,, the design allows for creative expression and can make people feel things or think about creativity and make the menu look interesting and attractive to customers.

Abstract menu layout elements:

  • Use abstract shapes, elements, and patterns to create a unique menu
  • Add unique typography to create a sophisticated look
  • Add a vibrant color scheme

18. Playful Menu Design Ideas 

Playful menu design ideas use fun and silly things such as funny pictures, bright colors, and creative writing and make the menu look happy and interesting. In short, the design adds a sense of fun and playfulness to the dining experience and grabs people’s attention, and makes them curious with its lively and imaginative design.

Playful menu layout elements:

  • Use whimsical and fun elements, such as playful illustrations.
  • Add creative typography, to create a lighthearted menu presentation
  • Consider bright colors to make a more attractive menu

19. Bar Menu Design Ideas

Bar menu design ideas often feature a sleek and modern aesthetic with a focus on showcasing a wide selection of beverages also they utilize concise descriptions, appealing typography, and creative categorization to highlight different types of cocktails, beers, wines, and other drink options. However, this design concept aims to create an inviting and visually appealing menu that entices customers to explore the bar’s drink offerings.

  • Use creative categorization of beverages.
  • Add Modern typeface
  • Luxurious color combination
  • Consider Unique illustrations

20. Menu Design Like a Book 

Lastly, this menu design inspired by a book mimics the structure and aesthetics of a book. Customers read a menu like a book or a magazine and it incorporates book-like features such as a cover page, chapter headings for different menu sections, and a layout that resembles flipping through pages also this design concept creates a unique and literary-inspired menu presentation, adding a touch of nostalgia and sophistication to the dining experience.

Menu layout elements:

  •  Add a layout that resembles flipping through pages.
  • Use of an attractive color scheme
  • Modern menu hierarchy

Alright, So you have gone through all the menu design ideas. Now let’s move on to another important factor that will help you make a decision about how to design your menu. Now we are going to cover some tips that you need to keep in mind before designing your first menu.

How To Make a Menu Design

Step 1: Open the LiSi menu maker app

The first step is to open the LiSi menu maker app. Create a menu design for your restaurant. Your ultimate tool for creating personalized menus easily. To access the menu creator app, simply tap on the buttons provided below.

Menu Maker App for Android
Menu Maker App for iPhone

Step 2: Simply Search the Menu Design

Now you have to go to the search box. Search the search box for “Menu design”. And then click on the search button.

Step 3: Select Your Favorite Menu Design Template

Now select the menu design of your choice. Then customize the menu chosen now.

Step 4: Customize the Menu Design

Once you’ve selected a menu design, it’s time to customize it to make it your own. You can change the text, images, fonts, and colors to match your branding and messaging.

Step 5: Save, Download, and Share Your Menu Design

Once you have finished customizing your menu, it’s time to save, download and share it. The app allows you to save your design in PDF, JPG, and PNG formats. You can also share your menu directly from the app to social media platforms or people.

Tips For Menu Design

Keep it simple

While it’s important to design your menu visually appealing, avoid cluttering it with too much information or design elements. A clean and simple menu design will make it easier for customers to navigate and select.

Highlight special dishes

If you have any specials or signature dishes, make them stand out on the menu. Use design elements such as borders, boxes, or icons to draw attention to these items and entice customers to try something unique.

Provide clear descriptions

Each dish on the menu should have a concise and informative description. Use descriptive language to highlight key ingredients, cooking methods, and flavors. Be careful not to overwhelm customers with lengthy descriptions; aim to provide enough information to pique their interest.

Use high-quality images

Visual appeal plays a crucial role in attracting customers to your menu. Incorporate high-quality images of your dishes to entice customers and give them a visual representation of what to expect. Make sure the images are well-lit, appetizing, and accurately depict the dish.

Consider the layout

Your menu layout should be intuitive and logical. Group similar items together, such as appetizers, main courses, and desserts. Use columns or sections to divide different categories. Consider natural eye movement and design your menu accordingly, leading customers through effortlessly.

Consider seasonal changes

If your menu changes with the seasons, reflect this in your design. Incorporate seasonal colors or imagery to create freshness and relevance.

In addition, there are more articles related to menu designs that you can learn and explore to create your own menus.

Seek Out the Following Articles Related to Designing Menus:

Additionally, with the user-friendly menu maker app, individuals can now effortlessly create customized menus for any occasion, complete with a variety of templates, themes, and an extensive library of dishes to choose from.

Related Posts

Burger Flyer Templates For Restaurant Marketing

Bar Flyer Templates For Restaurant Marketing

Restaurant Business Card For Restaurant Marketing

This is Jessica Harsora

About Jessica Harsora

Jessica is experienced in SEO as well as a content writer with a passion for creating engaging content and optimizing it for search engines. She has helped numerous businesses increase their online visibility and drive traffic to websites.

View all posts by Jessica Harsora →