The Briny - Design Clarity | Design Clarity

our work about insights contact

Clean sans-serif logotype set against a dynamic aerial ocean photography graphic.

Creating a Brand That is Proudly Local

#Portsmouth
#Selected
#UK
#brand strategy
#Brand Strategy & Identity
#Hospitality & Leisure
#restaurants

‘The Briny‘ is the latest brand from the well-known family hospitality group that owns ‘Abar Bistro’ in Portsmouth. Design Clarity was given a brief to create a new seafood restaurant brand that is in line with the family values inspired by the Portsmouth culture & produce. The Briny celebrates the rich & vibrant local beauty, embracing its communities while creating a hub.

After establishing the brand DNA and values, our interiors team was briefed to convert the old fish & chips parlour into an all-day dining venue with a seafood focussed restaurant and a vibrant bar.

With a modest budget and a tight deadline, The Briny came to life showcasing unpretentious and relaxed interiors. A paired back palette with worn timbers, subtle textures and earthy finishes with coastal references allow the seaside backdrop and high-quality food & drink offer to shine.

“Working with Design Clarity was the easiest part of the project!”

Lucy Branson, Owner

read more

The bar concept highlights a refined, artisanal approach to service that complements the relaxed seaside interior. Tactile metallic tools and clean glass geometry are used to elevate the presentation of premium botanical ingredients, establishing a sophisticated yet unpretentious interaction point between staff and guests.

Custom metallic barware and crisp botanical garnishes at the service counter.

Linear bar counter featuring woven wicker pendants and woven-backed stools.

The main bar serves as the primary visual anchor inside the venue, utilizing low-profile horizontal planes to keep sights open to the sea. The layout balances cool, cast-stone work surfaces with warm, woven organic textures, referencing traditional coastal structures while providing a durable, high-traffic service zone.

The dining floor employs a flexible, open layout to maximize natural light and maintain clear pathways toward the beach windows. A neutral architectural shell is paired with distinct furniture clusters—ranging from casual high-tops to comfortable wicker lounge seating—creating subtle functional zones without the need for solid partition walls.

An expansive internal view showing loose timber tables, wicker armchairs, and a decorative ceiling raft.

Artisanal ceramic tableware presented on a textured, reclaimed timber table surface.

The presentation details bridge the gap between interior design and the final culinary experience. By serving seafood on textured, organic ceramics over heavily grained wood, the design concept reinforces a raw, honest approach to hospitality where the product matches the unpretentious character of the physical environment.

The architecture leverages the prime beachfront location by aligning the open-plan dining space with expansive glass doors. The layout maximizes the natural daylight reflecting off the water, combining light-washed timber surfaces with oversized fabric lanterns to maintain a continuous, breezy connection to the coastal horizon outside.

Bright dining interior featuring large-scale fabric pendants and open sea vistas.

Close-up of fresh oyster shucking within the stainless steel preparation zone.

The culinary experience focuses on an honest, ingredient-led approach that directly mirrors the raw materiality of the interior architecture. By capturing the precise, hands-on prep work behind the scenes, the design story reinforces a commitment to authentic coastal hospitality, where the fresh product acts as the core driver of the brand's identity.

The narrow floor plan uses a central avenue layout to maximize seating capacity while maintaining clear operational circulation. A muted grey and off-white color palette washes the walls, allowing the raw grain of the wood tables and curated textural features to guide the eye toward the rear of the space.

A deep interior viewpoint showcasing timber tables, white bentwood chairs, and a mirrored alcove.

Dual utility washbasins paired with circular porthole mirrors and deep blue tiling.

The ancillary spaces extend the coastal narrative using utilitarian, vintage-inspired fixtures that recall traditional maritime architecture. Heavy structural elements and industrial metalwork are combined with crisp ceramic surfaces, ensuring the brand identity remains consistent and highly tactile even within the most functional corners of the floor plan.

The exterior shopfront utilizes a clean, beach-house-inspired architectural envelope to establish an inviting street presence. Precision-cut metal branding elements are fixed directly to textured horizontal timber boarding, creating a layered, high-contrast fascia that catches natural sunlight and soft foliage shadows throughout the day.

Dimensional metal signage mounted onto a white shiplap timber facade.

A series of triptych menu cards featuring navy blue stock and white typography.

The brand collateral uses a clean, typographic triptych to communicate the venue's core operational values. By combining structured layout principles with organic wave illustrations, the print design reinforces the restaurant’s unpretentious, local seafood narrative across all physical customer touchpoints.

The brand guidelines establish a structured visual framework that coordinates all physical and digital touchpoints for the venue. This system defines the precise application of color palettes, typographic layouts, and linear icon variants, ensuring the relaxed, coastal-referenced aesthetic remains cohesive across uniforms, menus, and environmental graphics.