Innes Clark: Bakery to Restaurant Design

Innes Clark — profile published 2026-09-08 — explains how a bakery job became the launchpad for a practice that now shapes posters, menus and the visual vibe of London hospitality spaces.

Burnt out after four pandemic-disrupted years studying illustration at Edinburgh College of Art, Clark stepped into hospitality to regroup. She squeezed in a crash course in graphic design and discovered the bakery role gave her on-the-ground access to the clients and briefs that would become her first commissions. That practical pivot is now a through-line in work that sits equally between playful illustration and commercial branding.

What she does

Clark’s pieces start messy and analogue: loose sketches on scrap paper, scanned and layered in Photoshop. She favours wobble and imperfection, adding textures and blend modes until a composition breathes. Her process deliberately leaves negative space so viewers can bring their own reading — a tactic she says keeps the work human and immediate.

Her portfolio splits into two recurring elements. One is a characterful cat — "a big ball of fluff" in Clark’s words — drawn with warm, loose linework and recurring like a mascot. The other is a suite of posters and menus for restaurants and bars: martini sketches, playful type combinations and hand-lettered taglines that make venues feel personal rather than corporate.

Why it matters to music and nightlife fans

Design is part of the gig: flyers, posters and menus set expectations for an evening before a band plays or a DJ drops a set. Clark’s hand-drawn approach gives spaces a distinct personality that complements programming and atmosphere — important for promoters and audiences who value vibe and authenticity over templated imagery.

Influences range from Saul Steinberg and David Hockney’s early sketches to Tim Burton’s illustrations and the zines at GOSH! Soho, all feeding into work that is at once familiar and idiosyncratic. On staying active creatively, she sums it up simply: "So, just to keep drawing."

Her next aim is modest and resonant: less screen time, more drawing, and to stop letting burnout stall her personal work. For anyone who notices the look of a venue as much as the sound, Clark’s work is a reminder that hand-made visuals still matter in the spaces where music and people meet.