From New and Innovative Work in Advertising and Design.

Restaurateur Steven Starr's latest project (an upscale Mexican restaurant) posed an interesting challenge for Philadelphia-based Quaker City Mercantile: how to creatively, and collectively, position the restaurant as both upscale and less than sophisticated. Named after the real-life and flamboyant singer "El Vez, The Mexican Elvis," the restaurant is quirky, hip and pricey. To convey the lowbrow-meets-$30-taco concept, Quaker City Mercantile (formerly known as Gyro Worldwide) hired underground street artist Nick Paparone to develop a hand-made barrio meets hipster vibe for the posters.

Art Director / Illustrator: Nick Paparone