Roles: Brand Designer, Illustrator
Tools: Adobe Illustrator, Procreate, Adobe Photoshop, Adobe InDesign
THE PROBLEM
Neko's branding needs a refresh! Once adorned with a Japanese-inspired identity, their brand evolved to be more personal and fun as their staff managed their social media presence. As their playful and silly character emerged, a disconnection formed between their original image and evolving brand. To reconcile this gap, this rebranding project harmonizes elegance with whimsy, presenting a vibrant and enchanting NEKO experience.
THE PROCESS
RESEARCH:
The process started off by a site research of the establishment as well as a look into the history of NEKO. Visiting the store and learning about what the audience feels about NEKO, it was clear that the cafe was adored for its cute cats, unique cafe experience as well as their friendly staff. All of which were essential to keep in mind while crafting the brand.
CONCEPT BOARD:
Derived from the key characteristics obtained from the research stage (cute, unique and friendly), I came up with the tagline of creature comforts. This concept aims to emphasize the warm and welcoming nature of the cats as well as the staff! Based on this, I created a concept board that included images, colors and type treatments that fit with this theme. The photography is natural and warm, the patterns and illustrations are fun and whimsical and the colors add a pop of uniquness.
LOGO DEVELOPMENT
The next step to refining the concept and branding was to create a new logo. This process included working on a couple of design sprints for the wordmark and the logomark.
After some rounds of feedback, I chose the most appropriate typeface pairing and logomark that best fit the brand and refined it. The logo represents the fun and friendly nature of the cafe while utilizing a traditional Japanese brushstroke technique for the logo mark as a call back to the origin of the cafe.
DELIVERABLES
Embracing a comprehensive approach, I began creating deliverables that spanned interactive, environmental, and print mediums. Curating a distinctive graphic library and celebrating the uniqueness of each cat and its story. Armed with this versatile asset collection and an inspiring concept board, NEKO's refreshed identity effortlessly infused magic into diverse deliverables. Take a look at some of the adorable results!
