A brand re-design of popular Seattle ramen spot, Ooink Ramen.
January – March 2022
9 Weeks
Illustrator
Photoshop
InDesign
Figma
School Project
Solo
Designer
Illustrator
Copywriter
Task Manager
Ooink is a ramen restaurant in the Capitol Hill neighborhood of Seattle. They specialize in combining the traditional tastes and methods of Japanese Ramen with a modern twist. Since opening in 2016, owners Chong Boon Ooi and Jiaxin have focused on flavor and recipe. Now that they are an established restaurant, there is an opportunity to help identify themselves as a trending ramen restaurant that specializes in putting modern twists on traditional flavors.
Create a brand identity that reflects Ooink Ramen's passion for adding modern twist on traditional flavors.
Develop a solid brand identity for Ooink Ramen to connect with new and regular customers through visual and interactive elements. The new brand identity will packaged and developed into a brand guidebook to give to Ooink Ramen.
The new brand identity will include a re-designed logo, graphic elements, photography style, and company voice. Application of the brand identity will also be included for physical and virtual assets.
Before getting started on a new brand identity, I collaborated with other students developing an Ooink Ramen rebrand and looked at the history, beliefs, and values of Ooink Ramen.
After researching the company, we individually gathered an assortment of images that each of us felt either did or did not reflect Ooink Ramen. Then, we voted on each of the images and their relevance to Ooink Ramen before placing them on a line graph on "who is" and "who is not" reflective of Ooink Ramen's established identity.
Taking from the image placement exercise in the research phase, the images were then sorted out into tonal territories. For each territory, additional photos, colors, and graphic elements were added to better create a voice for the brand.
Once the three tonal territories were created an overall brand mission statement was made. This statement, also known as the North Star statement, acts as a basis and guideline to follow as we begin to develop elements for the brand.
The audience helps the designer to know who they are designing for. For Ooink Ramen, our student research team developed a fictional audience based on observation of restaurant customers and the local residents in the Capitol Hill area of Seattle. In addition to the Ooink's mission statement, the audience serve as a basis for what designs to create.
Hamari is an aspiring trendsetter. Currently in her first year at Seattle University, she has been touring the Capitol Hill Neighborhood, looking for niche shops and trendy restaurants. In her free time, Hamari loves to follow social media influencers that showcase the latest trends, fashions, and popular food destinations. She is also working to develop her own style as an influencer by sharing her finds with the Seattle community.
Likes: Trendy shops, K-pop, foodie blogs, thrift shops, soup in all seasons, hanging with friends
Seth is an easy-going San Luis Obispo transplant new to the the city of Seattle. In the past couple years Seth has grown to love the bustling streets of Seattle and connecting with his coworkers and friends in various Seattle neighborhoods. Now in his early 30s, Seth has gained a new found love for unique restaurants around Seattle, and loves to try new places and share them with others.
Likes: Tech news, podcasts, Seattle night life, Happy Hour, asian foods, trendy restaurants.
Taking from each of the tonal territories, the concept board helps to communicate the overall visual feeling and designs for the brand. These is where colors, photography styles, and graphic elements start to develop.
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From the first iteration, I worked adding more visual experience to the board. By developing hierarchy through imagery, it began to better tell the visual style of Ooink Ramen. Eventually, I added and removed certain photos for a more cozy and thoughtful feeling.
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To start brainstorming potential logos, I decided to work out a mind map, describing Ooink Ramen's atmosphere, tonal territories, and even flavors. Once I had some words to go with, I started sketching out variations, based on the descriptive words.
Paying mind to the logo scale, I sketched variations and eventually landed on a design that could be translated through larger and smaller scale designs.
The final logo is a play on "modern twist on traditional" and takes from the traditional Japanese Hanko stamps. These stamps often used with red ink, feature animals as a symbol, and are paired with the family or company name.
For Ooink Ramen, I decided to place the name is outside of the stamp for better readability and scaling. The icon on its own can then be used as an asset for takeout packaging, wall graphics, and other merchandise.
Icon
Vertical
Smaller Scale
Outlined Text
Stretched or Shrunk
Misuse of Color
To keep in line with the mind map, logo, and concept board, I paired a more traditional serif font with a warmer, bolder headline font.
Sorted by usage in this graphic, the main color red is used to invite appetizing thoughts, while orange and blue serve as accent colors - blue which echoes the cooler city feeling of Seattle and orange that brings in warmth from tastes of the comforting food Ooink serves.
The pattern choice is inspired by Japanese and Chinese textiles. Per the concept board, the graphic elements serve as a background for typography and visual assets. I decided to keep the illustration and graphic application simple, as these elements should be easily transferrable to all assets.
Clean layout, warmer colors, and close-up photography place emphasis on the ingredients and experience the audience will have when eating at Ooink Ramen.
General voice and tonality for the service team to use when talking with guests and communicating the brand.
