Koto helps restaurant-discovery app Franki make time dance | Creative Boom Subscribe ⌘K News Inspiration Insight
Tips Resources Podcast Community Events Topics Graphic Design Illustration Motion Photography Advertising Art & Culture
Branding Typography Digital Product Experience Creative Industry Info About Contact Get Featured Advertise Newsletter
Subscribe ⌘K Topics Graphic Design Illustration Motion Photography Advertising Art & Culture Branding
Typography Digital Product Experience Creative Industry Sections News Inspiration Insight Tips Resources Extras
Community Events Podcast Newsletter Info About Contact Get Featured Advertise Social Instagram TikTok YouTube X
(formerly Twitter) LinkedIn Threads Pinterest Topics Graphic Design Illustration Motion Photography Advertising Art
& Culture Branding Typography Digital Product Experience Creative Industry Sections News Inspiration Insight Tips
Resources Extras Community Events Podcast Newsletter Info About Contact Get Featured Advertise Social Instagram TikTok
YouTube X (formerly Twitter) LinkedIn Threads Pinterest Search Search Looking for something? Tap outside or press Esc to
close ↑ ↓ navigate Enter select News Branding Koto helps restaurant-discovery app Franki make time dance The
global design studio has given the social restaurant-discovery app a warm, yellow-soaked identity built on one
deceptively simple idea: make "time" itself dance. Written By: Katy Cowan 22 July 2026 You know that hangry moment? When
you're standing on a street corner, phone in hand, three chat threads open, everyone hungry and nobody willing to commit
and pick the place? Deciding where to eat has somehow become a modern headache. That's the very dilemma that Franki, a
social restaurant-discovery and rewards app, is trying to tackle. And it's just been given a brand to match by global
creative studio Koto. Founded by Eugene Varricchio and Nick Bennett, Franki began in Austin in 2020 before expanding
out. The idea is pretty simple: short-form video recommendations from real local diners, a bit of personalised
discovery, and cash back when you actually turn up. How it works is you activate an offer, pay with a linked card and
earn rewards, then earn a little more when your own recommendation gets someone else through the door. A win-win
situation. Restaurants get something out of it, too. Instead of paying upfront for impressions or clicks, businesses
only pay when Franki connects a piece of content to a real visit and transaction. This makes it a "merchant-funded,
performance-based" alternative to traditional advertising, and it closes the loop between discovery, content, purchase
and attribution. (Why didn't we think of that?) So basically, the recommendation you leave doesn't just disappear into
the feed; it gives back. The trouble is, this is a crowded corner of the internet. Franki needed a brand that could hold
its own against the likes of Google, Tripadvisor and Yelp, plus the growing wave of video-first discovery apps all after
the same attention. It also had a trickier problem: how do you sell the joy of an app-only experience before someone's
even downloaded it? And once they have, how do you give them a reason to keep coming back, keep posting, and keep the
whole thing moving? Turning discovery into a good time Koto's answer was founded on a deceptively simple line: "make
time dance". Because if time is the real currency of the experience economy, the thinking goes, then Franki is there to
help you spend it well. It's the insider mate who always knows where to go, when to go and what's worth telling people
about. Crucially, it doesn't assume everyone moves to the same beat. It just reckons everyone deserves an easier route
to the places and moments that feel right for them. That idea reframes taking part, too. Every post and recommendation,
every good night out adds something back to the wider community and helps the next person find a good time of their own.
The verbal identity takes its cue from the Jester archetype: lively, open and never too pleased with itself. Franki's
voice swaps exclusivity and expertise for warmth, wit and honesty, widening the circle of who gets to be in the know
rather than guarding the door. Bringing "make time dance" to life The visual identity turns that line into a system full
of warmth, rhythm and movement. Optimistic yellow, warm curvy type, playful language and energetic motion all pull in
the same direction, making Franki feel alert, sociable and ready for whatever's next. At its heart sits a joyful symbol
that works as visual shorthand for being in the know. Inspired by the language of quality wares and influential
societies, it stands for a collective with an eye for experiences worth sharing: curious, always looking ahead, forever
the friend who knows the spot and is happy to bring everyone along. And it earns its keep. The symbol can point towards
a URL, flag a location or steer you towards your next experience. It can also step away from the wordmark entirely and
become part of Franki's wider cast of characters, adding expression and direction across the product and communications.
The wordmark itself is open and friendly, with curvy, playful forms, and Diatype Rounded carries that character across
headlines, product moments and campaigns through its soft shapes. Colour-wise, you've got Bright Yellow and Gold leading
the way, signalling optimism, movement and high standards, while Light Yellow, Off White, Pure White and Charcoal add
contrast and flexibility without letting the palette slide. Motion keeps the whole thing moving at the pace of
discovery, with type, content and UI opening up, turning and bouncing with quick, confident energy, and lo-fi touches
keeping it human. The art direction follows suit. Photography is warm, bright, candid and properly in the moment –
spontaneous interactions, shared plates, open laughter and the small details that make a restaurant worth remembering.
Energetic framing gives each image a sense of movement, while natural colour and light keep it all close to real life.
It comes together across product, content and communications, with the video-first app putting real people and real
places front and centre. It also stretches into Franki Social Club, a programme that rewards creators for posting about
their favourite restaurants and earning cash back when they order with a linked card. The overall vibe Koto has
delivered The rebrand marks Franki's shift from discovery tool to community-led platform. It beautifully links the
pleasure of finding a place to the reward of sharing it, and gives the app a confident base to grow from. "Franki is
trying to solve a very human problem: how to spend more of your time doing things you genuinely enjoy," says Gerald
Torto, senior strategy director at Koto. "The opportunity was to make that utility feel joyful rather than
transactional. 'Make time dance' gave the brand a clear strategic role, but also an emotional one. Franki helps people
find their own beat, then invites them to share it with everyone else." For executive creative director Melissa
Baillache, the design had to keep up with the product. "The identity needed to move with the same energy as the
product," she says. "The logo became more than a signature. It morphs into a character that can guide, react and
celebrate, giving Franki a clear emotional language across the product. Around it, type, colour, motion and imagery work
as one lively system, making every interaction feel warm, intuitive and unmistakably Franki." You can browse the full
project over on Koto's case study. Share Editor's Picks Tips The Graphic Designer Salary Guide for 2026 8 June 2026
Insight The tin-opener philosophy of design: founder Ben Farr on analogue thinking and why he chose Stoke-on-Trent 28
May 2026 Inspiration 15 studios creatives are excited about right now (beyond the obvious) 5 May 2026 Resources Handsome
Frank launches a new shop selling beautiful prints by world-class illustrators 8 April 2026 Trending Inspiration Sawako
Kabuki on butts, bodily fluids and making work that refuses to behave 20 July 2026 News How Thirst redesigned
M&S's beer aisle, from stamp-inspired lagers to bold, flavour-led craft 21 July 2026 Insight Inside Wolves of
Tokyo: the design lessons behind London's new Japan-noir restaurant 21 July 2026 Inspiration Inside Joseph
Carway's world of paint, wood and pattern-seeking imagination 20 July 2026 Inspiration Take a peek inside
Mindspill, the typographic diary of Shrey Kathuria 20 July 2026 News 'The world is deserving of better
design': Koto's Jowey Roden on his mission to make quality typefaces affordable 15 July 2026 Podcasts EP216
The Spark: Rob Draper on Old-School Electro, Portrait-a-Day and Nike Dreams 18 June 2026 EP215 Why Starting From Scratch
Might Be the Best Thing That Ever Happens to You, with Rob Draper 15 June 2026 EP214 The Spark: Katy Ennis-Hargreaves on
Croc Hatred, Accidental Shoplifting and Vivienne Westwood 11 June 2026 EP213 Why Being Yourself Is Your Biggest Creative
Advantage, with Katy Ennis-Hargreaves of BOLDISM 8 June 2026 Editor's Picks Tips Career The Graphic Designer Salary
Guide for 2026 8 June 2026 Insight Creative Industry The tin-opener philosophy of design: founder Ben Farr on analogue
thinking and why he chose Stoke-on-Trent 28 May 2026 Inspiration Creative Industry 15 studios creatives are excited
about right now (beyond the obvious) 5 May 2026 Resources The Edit Handsome Frank launches a new shop selling beautiful
prints by world-class illustrators 8 April 2026 Further Reading News Graphic Design Koto just proved that design for
enterprise platforms doesn't have to be beige 22 April 2026 News Branding MassiveMusic reveals new identity by Koto
4 December 2025 Inspiration Creative Industry Five creative projects we loved in November 2025 28 November 2025 News
Graphic Design Koto and Tripadvisor reimagine travel branding through real stories and lived-in design 7 July 2025 News
Graphic Design 'The future of work is wobbly': NB Studio's off-kilter rebrand for Streamtime 22 July 2025
Inspiration Graphic Design Five standout creative projects we loved in September 1 October 2025 Inspiration Branding
Franklyn takes Zagat 'back to its roots' with a cheeky identity that plays on customer reviews 30 September
2021 News Graphic Design Studio Morfar's soulful rebrand for Purpose Talent hits all the right notes 30 April 2025
Further Reading News Graphic Design Koto just proved that design for enterprise platforms doesn't have to be beige
22 April 2026 News Branding MassiveMusic reveals new identity by Koto 4 December 2025 Inspiration Creative Industry Five
creative projects we loved in November 2025 28 November 2025 News Graphic Design Koto and Tripadvisor reimagine travel
branding through real stories and lived-in design 7 July 2025 News Graphic Design 'The future of work is
wobbly': NB Studio's off-kilter rebrand for Streamtime 22 July 2025 Inspiration Graphic Design Five standout
creative projects we loved in September 1 October 2025 Inspiration Branding Franklyn takes Zagat 'back to its
roots' with a cheeky identity that plays on customer reviews 30 September 2021 News Graphic Design Studio
Morfar's soulful rebrand for Purpose Talent hits all the right notes 30 April 2025 Get the best of Creative Boom
delivered to your inbox weekly Email address Check your email to complete signup About us Creative Boom is an
independent art and design magazine, podcast and community for the creative industry, championing emerging artists and
designers since 2009. Founded by Katy Cowan, we're the warm, honest and friendly home creatives trust to inspire, inform
and support them at every stage. Info About Contact Community Get Featured Advertise Brand Assets Legal Terms &
Conditions Privacy Policy Cookie Policy Complaints Social Instagram TikTok YouTube X (formerly Twitter) LinkedIn Threads
Pinterest Creative Boom™ © 2026 Creative Boom Ltd. Registered in England and Wales #07437294.