Winning Entry · 99designs

The Striped Rock at Solomon's

Specialty Restaurant Identity

A rockfish restaurant needed a mark as clean and honest as their signature dish — a modern sketch of a stripped bass, with a slight swirl of water underneath. This is the entry that won the open competition on 99designs.

IndustryFood & Drink

ServiceLogo & Brand Identity

Platform99designs

The Contest Brief

Design a modern, simple sketch of a rockfish for a specialty restaurant — with a slight swirl of water flowing underneath.

The Striped Rock at Solomon's is a restaurant specialising in rockfish — particularly the stripped bass. They came to 99designs looking for a logo that felt as honest and unfussy as their menu: no elaborate illustration, just enough detail to make the fish instantly recognisable.

The brief was clear: a modern yet simple sketch of a rockfish, with a slight swirl of water beneath it. The fish didn't need to be highly detailed — it just needed to emphasise a “stripped” rockfish. The design needed to work across print, online advertising, merchandise, and physical signage.

Design Requirements

Modern yet simple sketch or illustration of a rockfish (stripped bass)

Slight swirl or movement of water underneath the fish

Fish does not need to be highly detailed — emphasise the 'stripped' quality

Open to creative colour choices — no specific palette required

Work across print, online, merchandise, and physical signage

Pictorial mark, abstract mark, or emblem — all acceptable

Design Exploration

Sketches, concepts, and the directions that didn't make it

Initial Sketches & Concept Exploration

Concept Direction 01 — Pictorial Fish Mark

Concept Direction 02 — Abstract Water Form

Rejected Explorations

The Final Mark

Simple enough to feel honest. Distinct enough to be remembered.

Symbol

A clean, confident sketch of a stripped rockfish — detailed enough to be identifiable, simple enough to work at any size. The water swirl beneath it adds movement and life without adding visual noise.

Typography

Add font name — the typeface chosen complements the hand-crafted character of the fish mark while maintaining legibility across menus, signage, and digital formats.

Colour

A two-colour palette of deep violet and clean white. The bold purple evokes the richness of a waterfront dining experience while white keeps the mark legible and refined across menus, signage, and merchandise.

Logo System