What makes Honest’s burgers honest and their rosemary salted chips so good? Like lots of brands, the answers were in the founders’ heads. Some of it was clear from day one, some of it was figured out as they went along (why doesn’t everyone chop their beef instead of mincing it to oblivion?). They just hadn’t told anyone about it.

Back in 2011, there was a queue around the block to try every new burger joint in town. None more so than at Honest Burgers’ first restaurant in Brixton Market, after food critic Jay Rayner described their rosemary salted chips as “edible crystal meth”. Over a decade later, burger places big and small have come and gone and now Honest is the big name. So how do you go big without selling out? Make better burgers, for a start. The duo behind Honest set up their own butchery so they can make their burgers from scratch, their way.

Meanwhile, we helped them put their best-of-British take on burgers into words – without over-explaining it (always harder than it sounds).

First up, a book: MEAT AND POTATOES. We helped Honest find their tone at the same time and we made three-word headlines (inspired by post-war food posters) their wordy ‘thing’: MEAT AND POTATOES. GREAT BRITISH BURGERS. CHOP CHOP CHOP.

Next up, its sequel: COULD DO BETTER, 2022’s book about Honest Farming.

WHAT WE DID.

+ Summed up Honest’s brand and honed their tone at the same time.
+ Wrote it up in a book.
+ Summed up ‘Honest Farming’ and wrote a second little book.

WHAT WE DIDN’T.

+ The design: Studio Connie did that.