Sora
Brand Identity / Print
Sora is an elegant restaurant serving fresh, refined Japanese food in Downtown Vancouver. The atmosphere of the restaurant is open, airy and simplistic. Sora’s restaurant boasts traditional Japanese interior design sprinkled with modern furnishings.
The restaurant decided to update their branding as well as their menus in both digital and printed format. They wanted to be able to reach a more high end customer base and were looking for rich colours, clear design, and an opulent feeling.
The Concept: Sora means “sky” in Japanese. The name was inspired by the feeling you get when you stare out at the ocean horizon and see the open sky, appearing to go on forever. Looking at the sky evokes emotions quite unlike anything else. You feel peaceful, happy, free and a sudden interconnectedness to the world around you. We wanted the branding for Sora to give you that same sun-kissed, harmonious feeling. This was accomplished by using patterns and shapes that create a striking blend of sophistication and intricacy.
The logo icon for Sora is a minimal, abstract depiction of a boat sailing on the water into the sunset. Imagine you are sitting on a small sailboat and you look out into the horizon. Your view of the edge of the boat in the beautiful blue water and the setting sun in the bright sky is what you see. The logo is simple and works on a variety of assets that Sora will need, such as napkins, takeaway bags, menus, coasters and social media.
The logo font, Moret, is not your traditional Japanese style font. However, it provides enough character and movement for the modern, elegant branding of Sora.
Blue symbolizes peace, calm, and the sky. This deep blue is powerful and luxurious. Red is the colour of the Japanese flag and symbolizes happiness, passion, strength and good luck. White is linked to purity and gives a clean, minimal aesthetic to the design.
The sky theme is carried throughout the menu. The cover features the logo peaking through the cloud design which represents a sun. The clouds are filled with traditional Japanese patterns, called “Wagara”, specifically “Kikkou,” a tortoise shell design symbolizing longevity, and “Yagasuri,” an arrow fletching design symbolizing good luck. The blossoms sprinkled throughout the design are very symbolic in Japanese culture and are a reminder of the beauty and transience of life. The cream coloured paper is a thick, textured cardstock while the area with the graphics is a coated paper with a glossy finish. The light paper provides easy visibility in a dark restaurant setting. Gold foil stitches these two papers together, giving the menu an added feeling of luxury.
The Ipad menu uses a dark background since this is better suited for a dimly lit environment and won’t put strain on the reader’s eyes. The patterns are carried throughout the digital menu to create a cohesive look with the rest of the branding. The continuous scroll design incorporates plenty of white space so that the user is able to properly navigate through the tablet while reading.
Programs Used: Adobe InDesign / Adobe Illustrator / Adobe Photoshop
Images provided by unsplash.com