cocolo Japanese Restaurant Branding |

My most recent branding project was for a small restaurant here in Vancouver called cocolo. We were given the assignment to find a product or business/company and create an identity for it. When we were given the assignment I decided that I would post an ad online for any businesses that felt like their brand wasn’t doing them justice, or were just starting up new and wanted a brand. I got a phone call just hours after the ad went online, and it was a small Japanese Restaurant not too far from my place. They bought the restaurant from it’s previous owners about a year ago and weren’t overly happy with the brand of the restaurant. So I set up a meeting with them to discuss ideas, and to get some more information on their restaurant. When I was there they kindly brought out dishes for me to try. I had never had Japanese food before so this was a first for me. What I learned from them was that they were hoping to attract more caucasian guests and come across as more upscale restaurant while still staying affordable for everyone. They also felt it was important to incorporate nature because it brought a sense of peace to the restaurant. They were great clients, very co-operative, and trusted me completely. Unfortunately a few days later I received an email from them explaining that something came up unexpectedly and they had sold the restaurant. Even though I wouldn’t actually be creating the physical aspects of the brand any more (menu’s, business cards, etc.) I would continue to design everything for my school project. Before I had heard about the sale of the restaurant I had met with a book binding company here in Vancouver called “Menu’s by Design” and took a look at some sample textures for the menus. I also booked a tour of one of the largest printing companies around, Hemlock Printers and learned a great amount of the printing process, and left with some swatches of sample paper too. Below is some of the work I created for the restaurant.