Brand Identity For Y Maes Food Hall
Y Maes, a food, art, and culture hub in the heart of Criccieth, Wales, approached Yoke Creative Agency to create a brand identity and a compelling one-page website for its launch. The challenge was to encapsulate Y Maes' multifaceted essence -its celebration of Welsh culinary talent, its connection to community and creativity, and its roots in the region’s rich heritage -all within a cohesive and inspiring brand package. Here's how we brought this vision to life.
WHAT WE CREATED
Brand Identity | Website Design + Build | Copywriting
The Brief
Y Maes needed a brand that honoured its past while embracing a fresh, dynamic future. Once a smithy, workshop, and later a craft centre, the building has always been a place of craftsmanship and community. This legacy shaped our approach—blending history with modern creativity to create a space that feels both familiar and new. The challenge was to balance tradition with a contemporary warmth, establishing Y Maes as a landmark for food, art, and culture.
Why Y Maes?
In Welsh, "maes" means "square" or "gathering place", perfectly capturing its purpose. With a heritage of skilled trade and creativity, Y Maes continues this tradition—now as a space for chefs, artists, and makers to connect. Located in the heart of Criccieth, North Wales, it’s perfectly placed to bring people together.
The Process
Y Maes needed a brand identity that felt authentic—rooted in Criccieth’s history while fresh, creative, and inviting. We began by defining its core values: community, craftsmanship, and culture, ensuring the brand reflected the spirit of a modern food, art, and culture hub.
The logo design puts Criccieth Castle at the heart of the brand, connecting it to the town’s heritage. Hand-drawn elements add a sense of craftsmanship, while the colour palette draws from the natural tones of Snowdonia, creating a warm and welcoming feel. The typography strikes a balance between clean, modern fonts and expressive, handcrafted lettering—perfect for signage, menus, and marketing.
Through our brand strategy and moodboard process, we refined a look that blends history with creativity. The final identity is distinctive, memorable, and SEO-friendly, setting up Y Maes to attract both locals and visitors searching for unique dining and cultural experiences in Wales.
Website design & development
A single page website to launch the venue - it features a visually dynamic header that captures the vibrant atmosphere of the food hall, immediately drawing visitors into the experience. Engaging copy reinforces its ethos—setting the tone for what Y Maes is all about. With user-friendly navigation, the site ensures both locals and visitors can easily explore everything Y Maes has to offer. Plus, with basic SEO optimisation in place, it’s designed to be discoverable, helping to build anticipation ahead of the grand opening.
“James and Maddy have been brilliant. They brought my ideas and business to life! I had a great experience working with them to brand the business and launch the website. They are very professional throughout all stages of the process and delivered just what we were looking for. Thanks for all your help so far, hopefully we can keep building this brand together in the near future!”
L Edwards - Founder of Y Maes Food Hall
