Devour

As a project for the Brand Identity and Graphic Design class (Spring 2019), I created a new brand. Born out of the frustration at the recurring argument my friends and I have whenever we go out to eat, I thought of Devour, an Asian fusion restaurant that serves different  Asian food, with an emphasis on Chinese and Japanese cuisine (our favorites). 

Sketching & Ideation

I wanted a restaurant that celebrated and highlighted our favorite dishes. Though many delicacies are blended into one dish, ideally waiters would serve customers with an explanation of the different cultures and stories behind each type of food.  I started sketching the types of Asian food I wanted to illustrate, along with potential logo designs. Additionally, I explored different fonts and color palettes. 

Logo Design & Color Palette

I chose Century Gothic (Bold) because I liked its clean, simple look. I also chose to add smoke coming out of the "U" to symbolize freshly steamed and cooked food. I strayed away from the idea of including one specific kind of Asian food in the logo so that people wouldn't assume it was a restaurant specializing in one specific meal (ex. chopsticks = ramen shop).

I decided to use the vibrant blue and light pink since the red and yellow colors reminded me of fast and instant food. I didn't want to brand Devour as a fast-food restaurant, so I chose bold, balanced, yet fun colors for an unconventional and interesting look.

Posters

I started creating posters to advertise the brand. My main goal was to generate the message "Never choose between great food," since I was promoting an Asian fusion restaurant that primarily served Chinese and Japanese cuisine. I wanted to mix and match foods, but also highlight a few dishes. I came up with 2 different directions according to the color palette I wanted to explore. My first direction consisted of a classic white background. I liked the simple, clean look.  

My second direction was bolder.  I thought they would definitely stand out on a wall, but the blue contrasts harshly against black, and the blue didn't pop against the pink.

Ultimately, I decided to go with Direction 1. Though I really loved the idea of the bold combination of black, blue, and pink, I didn't like the contrast between the black and blue. (Maybe Direction 2 could be applied to special events, like "Devour After Dark" - midnight buffet).  With a direction in mind, I applied it to various brand collateral. 

Stationary

Official Branding Guidelines

Signage & Products 

I applied these branding guidelines to physical products and spaces.

Reflections

Overall, I am satisfied with this project. If I had more time, I would expand on my "Devour After Dark" idea, playing around with dynamic illustrations and bold colors. I wanted Devour to have a distinct voice and personality, which I tried to convey with unconventional features (cute dish names, meal stamp cards, ticket stubs, bold color palette). If I had more time, I would want to create illustrations and explanations about the culture and stories behind the food in each dish. I had a really fun time making this, and I would love to try my hand at more brand identity design.