So in December I managed to become unemployed again, so I took it upon myself to take on a little project to keep myself busy.

There’s a local business in Banff called `The broken fiddle` which is an extremely welcoming restaurant with a wholesome and rustic decor.

I’ve been going there ever since high school so I had a certain affinity for it. Their online marketing was next to non-existent so I approached the business owner with a vision for digital expansion.

The result of those talks is a fully fledged facebook page with over a years worth of marketing material. (assuming, a post per month which is the plan)

The page hasn’t exactly gone live (at the time of writing, maybe that will have changed by the time you read this) but I’ll explain that situation at the bottom. but first! lots of images! first up, some variations on profile pictures.

these are the signs outside the building, so choosing them as the profile image was a no-brainer as that’s the first thing a passing customer will see.

and the cover images.

They were keen to promote some of the new coffee machinery installed so the first cover image shows off some of that. the second is the predictable fiddle splash image and the third is a touched up shot of the iconic mural painting inside the establishment.

Here’s a better look at it.

Aside from the decor, there’s also the food. Their breakfasts are a big draw, especially their affordable `mega brekfast`

working with imagery of food was an interesting experience, I figured out interesting methods of removing the shine to make it look less greasy, and adding volume and color in places to make it look more appetizing.

And as previously mentioned, the coffee.

They also have an inventive desert menu for the warmer months. I redid their menu’s as well since they were a little rough and had a lot of typos.

My favourite is “death by chocolate” really stirs the appetite doesn’t it?

And here’s the main menu redone in the same style.

They also happen to one of the few places that stock diabetic ice cream so I thought I’d make a point of highlighting that.

some simple palette swaps. also, that blue circle is the logo for diabetic friendly goods.

the plan once the page goes live is to post everyday with the specials, here’s some imagery promoting the variety of them.

working on some of these made me really hungry!

So that’s all the content thus far, I have a long-term plan if the owner wishes to proceed, involving a more expansive variety of subjects to promote, and initial starting material for a website.

One big problem with the Facebook page so far though is that 2 other ones exist.

They weren’t made professionally so there’s a long list of abandoned Facebook accounts and forgotten passwords. I managed to graciously attain some login details from the business owners and some other affiliates. But as soon as I was about to merge the pages, Facebook security kicked me out and asked for photographic ID.
banal security measures aside, I can’t post any of the content because nobody will see it. there’s a combined audience of over 100 from the other broken fiddle pages which I need merged before I proceed.

So I had to travel 100 miles north to get some of the login credentials sorted, creating a technological fuss for a string of people along the way. only to be notified. “checking your ID may take up to 30 days, thank you for your patience”

I’ve contacted Facebook support through about 4 different accounts and sent a dozen emails apiece, its absolutely ridiculous how long this ordeal has taken and it reflects extremely poorly on me.

Facebook support is an atrocious joke!

Okay! rant all done!

Happy Robert Burns day! Make sure to do some reading on the broken fiddle when you get the chance, it’s a sombre and surprisingly relevant cautionary tale about racism and acceptance, and would make for a fantastic animated tale akin to the mermaid of lunan bay.