As part of Project Ray, Landini Associates redesigned the three-story McDonald’s in Moscow
Everyone knows about McDonald’s, yet not everyone knows it was salesman Ray Kroc who transformed a mom-and-pop shop into the global franchise it is today. While the Golden Arches still bears the surname of its founding brothers Richard and Maurice, McDonald’s is now paying homage to Kroc with a reinvigorated design and branding concept, Project Ray.
Sydney-based Landini Associates (LA) first launched the initiative in Hong Kong five years ago, and the latest iteration of Project Ray has been unveiled in Moscow’s Pushkin Square, arguably one of the world’s most bustling urban parks, three decades after McDonald’s debuted its first outpost in Russia.
“Our initial brief was to make McDonald’s cool again in order to attract Millennials,” says LA creative director Mark Landini, who has been working with McDonald’s since 2014. “For Project Ray, we wanted to create a simple, timeless environment” that emphasizes the service, the food, and the people. “By making McDonald’s less noisy,” he adds, “it [becomes a] place where people can come and relax.”
The updated fast-food restaurant features contemporary materials and natural finishes
For the three-story space, the design studio used hushed, contemporary materials in their natural finishes—such as concrete, glass, stainless steel, and oak—to make up the palette, and the signature yellow hue has been toned down.
“The walls of the store intermittently celebrate the classics: large white-line drawings of cheeseburgers and other iconic products tip a nod to McDonald’s heritage,” Landini explains. “Signage is kept minimal to let the food and people do the talking.”
LA also reorganized the restaurant’s orientation. “Screens were removed, mirrors were added to walls and ceilings to reflect views of the square, and internal walls were removed to connect the multilevel space—all linking to Pushkin Square,” says LA design director Wayne Cheng.
One of the innovations is a two-tier, stadium-style bench, used for the first time here, that encourages casual hangouts with unique sight lines. “It allows for flexibility in seating arrangements and accommodates different groups,” Cheng says.
Landini adds, “McDonald’s was founded on inventiveness, but is grounded in familiarity. While progressive design and innovative technology continue to propel the brand forward, customers’ memories of McDonald’s are often lifelong and anchored in the past. This, too, encapsulates Project Ray.”
The new design includes a reconfigured layout to maximize functionality and seating options
The environment is both simple and timeless
