Taco Bueno
The Approach
Taco Bueno needed to win back a fiercely loyal fan base that felt burned — while attracting a totally new generation of customers who didn’t even know who they were. The brand’s visual identity was outdated, their reputation had taken a hit, and their budget couldn’t support the kind of large-scale campaigns they’d relied on in the past. I took creative responsibility across both traditional and digital spaces, building a brand system that could show up consistently — even when the tools weren’t fancy. On the traditional side, I introduced a bold, motion-forward identity that made the food feel craveable without breaking the bank. On the digital side, we focused on building efficient, modular systems that helped us film smarter, stretch every shoot, and bring the brand’s voice back to life on social.
Role:
Sr. Art Director
Context:
Iluminere Digital Marketing
Scope of Work
Content Strategy
Monthly Content Calendar Planning
Shot List & Shoot Planning
Production & Post-Production
Photography
Videography
UGC Content
Food & Set Styling
Transparency tastes better.
The Social Strategy
I worked closely with our social media managers to build a content strategy that helped reintroduce the food — and the people who make it. We focused on lo-fi video that felt honest, confident, and a little bit quirky. We got into the kitchens to shoot behind-the-scenes content, gave viewers a glimpse into how the food was made (and why), and used that transparency to flip the conversation — from “this place is dirty” to “oh wow, they actually care.” I also helped introduce a new approach to production: modular shot lists and kitchen-friendly content calendars that let us walk away with 3x the video from every shoot. Every post was part of a larger plan to rebuild the brand’s voice into something fun, modern, and trustworthy — growing our audience by over 135% and turning skepticism into loyalty.
Craveable, not costly.
The Traditional Media Strategy
We didn’t have a high-cost production budget — but we did have a vision. I leaned into a bold, kinetic design system that used cut-out food imagery, vibrant color, and playful motion to bring a modern edge to a brand still stuck in the 80s. We tested Spanglish in our broadcast spots, leaned into the brand’s Hispanic roots, and developed a modular creative system that made sure no promotion got left behind. For every window, we delivered 2–3 regional TV spots built on a formula that worked — efficient to produce, fun to watch, and unmistakably Bueno. I also led creative for our sports partnerships, crafting flexible visual systems that could work for both the Dallas Cowboys and OKC Thunder while still feeling cohesive with the core brand.
