Client
Ronnie Clydesdale founded the The Ubiquitous Chip Bar and Restaurant in the 70′s to serve Scottish dishes such as Cullen Skink, Clapshot and Howtowdie. Over the years it has become a beloved Scottish cultural institution, the walls of which are famously embellished by celebrated artist and writer Alasdair Gray and is very much a part of Glasgow’s creative scene. Later his son, Colin, opened up Stravaigin and The Liquid Ship. Colin Clydesdale’s eclectic and well traveled bill of fare is in counterpoint to the inspired home-cooking of his Father and he has won acclaim in his own right as a chef. Sadly Ronnie passed away recently but Colin continues the family tradition of relaxed and creative approaches to food.
The keynote all Clydesdale restaurants is originality and creativity. They are the very opposite of a traditional restaurant chain. Neither are they ‘expensive’ or ‘elitist’ though they have received many awards. They embrace a sense that, at its best, eating out is a cultural event where great ideas may occur around the sharing of a fine dinner.
We developed the Ubiquitous Chip brand with the late sculptor George Wyllie, himself a key part of Glasgow’s reputation as a cultural powerhouse. George initally confessed to being mystified by the graphic design process until the hand chiselled origins of letter cutting entered the conversation. Whereupon George hailed typography as a long lost relative of sculpture and embraced it with great gusto. From this the ‘chip’ concept emerged. The ‘chips’ of the marque refer to both the edible variety and the chips chipped out of the logo itself. Locofoco contributed and collaborated with the letterforms and the sign was eventually cut out and mounted on the “Ubie Q” premises in Ashton Lane by George where it stands today.
In Scottish gaelic Stravaigin means ‘wandering’ and carries a touch of leg pulling: Colin’s food reflects his twin passion for travel and an unpretentious sense of the absurd – the gastronomic backpacking includes tamari-seared hake with saffron Lyonnaise potatoes, Valencian lamb kebab with citrus couscous, or a salad of ‘three-day’ Vietnamese pork belly on peanut caramel-dressed green beans, herbs and noodles. Accordingly we based the identity of his restaurants around a core idea “Think Global, Eat Local”. The fact that these restaurants are definitely non-corporate is part of the fun.
The Liquid Ship is a malapropism for The Ubiquitous Chip coined by a lost taxi driver. It became the name for Colin Clydesdale’s third Bar which was famous for serving delicious snacks with drinks and attracted a loyal audience. Famous for its student community the character of The Liquid Ship was further defined by its tongue in cheek name. A marque was developed that formed a visual pun on the idea of a glass of guinness and a ship. A bow was made to the classic French designer Cassandre and his art deco depiction of the cruise ship Normandie.