The Ask:
create a restaurant and deliverables based on a fusion of two cuisines
create a restaurant and deliverables based on a fusion of two cuisines
This project began with the fusion of the Ethiopian flatbread, injera, and the popular sweet and savory Korean meat dish, Bulgogi. As I updated it, I saw the potential for it to be more East-Asian inspired.
The building in the logo is inspired by a few structures: the Xingshengjiao Temple Pagoda in Shanghai, the Korean Bell of Friendship in Los Angeles, and the traditional Giwa roofs of Korea. The star is from the Ethiopian flag and I paired it with the crescent because a large majority of Ethiopia is Muslim. Lastly, the octagon is derived from a Chinese symbol, the Bagua, which symbolize balance through opposites and acceptance of change.
The name of the restaurant is a combination of Ethiopian and Korean languages. "Ching gu," means
friend in Korean, which inspired my use of the Korean Bell of Friendship in the logo. "Gursha" is the Amharic word that means "mouthful," and is also an action one takes during an Ethiopian meal. When you perform gursha at a meal, you take a morsel of food – often a very large one – wrapped in injera and place it into the mouth of someone else at the table. Then, the person you’ve just honored with a gursha returns the favor. Because this restaurant is a fusion, I thought to fuse the words in each language to create something entirely new and heavy with meaning that reflects the values the restaurant possesses.
friend in Korean, which inspired my use of the Korean Bell of Friendship in the logo. "Gursha" is the Amharic word that means "mouthful," and is also an action one takes during an Ethiopian meal. When you perform gursha at a meal, you take a morsel of food – often a very large one – wrapped in injera and place it into the mouth of someone else at the table. Then, the person you’ve just honored with a gursha returns the favor. Because this restaurant is a fusion, I thought to fuse the words in each language to create something entirely new and heavy with meaning that reflects the values the restaurant possesses.
The palette consists of complimentary colors (melon red and forest green) and a third color (marigold) that creates an earthy and warm message, similar to the flavor profiles and types of foods served in these differing cultures. The complimentary colors articulate a balance and also a celebration, both rich and regal. The color scheme was chosen to communicate action and the bond of friendship that you feel when engaging in your experience. The imagery has natural elements and organic shapes, with a focus on circles and rounded shapes to further push the sharing narrative. The ultimate message that this restaurant is aiming to convey is whatever you add, you belong; we all have a flavor we bring to the table that blends harmoniously. I hope the audience feels emboldened to engage with this brand because they feel like it is a comfortable place to spend time & belong as themselves & to come out of this dining experience changed for the better.
This packaging is for the fusion meal that this restaurant was borne from, Beef Bulgogi with Injera flatbread. I wanted to showcase the flavors of the meal to entice a potential customer, but because I couldn't cook this dish and photograph it. I created vector images of the dishes ingredients.
The marketing items included a bus wrap, a bus shelter poster and a magazine ad. I wanted to keep these items as local as possible so I though that a bus ad would be a great way of advertising in the local area about the restaurant.
Inside the restaurant, they would have to-go bags, stickers inspired by the bagua as a to-go bag seal, as well as plastic loyalty cards (red) and punch cards (green).
The menu is simple; two pages with a lengthy vertical design using the green as a font color for readability. The menu's back cover features an Ethiopian Krar, as six stringed lute.
The website would include a home page with map, menu page and a rewards log in page. This reward page would be associated with the loyalty cards that can be found in store.
