BRANDING

ILLUSTRATOR

SOLO PROJECT

MAR 2026

PROBLEM

The existing branding lacked a cohesive visual identity that showcased the calming experience of the café.

The existing branding lacked a cohesive visual identity that showcased the calming experience of the café.

MY ROLE

Develop a contemporary logo suite brand and a cohesive visual identity across signage, digital fronts, and packaging.

OVERVIEW

Seeping café visitors in a natural environment

Ryokucha is a conceptual rebrand for a contemporary matcha café. My goal was to explore how I could balance warmth and cultural influence, while aligning with the café's modern aesthetic.

OBJECTIVES

  • Create an elegant, calm, and warm visual identity that bridges traditional and modern aesthetics.

  • Develop a flexible design system across packaging and digital mediums.

PROBLEM

The existing branding lacked a cohesive visual identity that showcased the calming experience of the café.

MY ROLE

Develop a contemporary logo suite brand and a cohesive visual identity across signage, digital fronts, and packaging.

PROBLEM

The existing branding lacked a cohesive visual identity that showcased the calming experience of the café.

MY ROLE

Develop a contemporary logo suite brand and a cohesive visual identity across signage, digital fronts, and packaging.

IDEATION & SKETCHES

Exploring what peace and serenity means through symbolism

Straying away from more generic matcha logomarks involving cups, I wanted to explore various symbolism surrounding the brand's key words such as: peace, calm, nature, and warmth.

THE LOGOMARK

A crane naturally-sourced

In Japanese culture, cranes symbolize peace, longevity, and happiness. Inspired by these values, Ryokucha Café aims to cultivate a peaceful environment where customers can relax and enjoy their orders. Hidden within the crane's wing is a subtle leaf form which represents the brand's connection to nature and matcha.

TYPOGRAPHY

The typefaces should balance legibility and elegance

Freight Text and Figtree were the perfect combination that bridged traditional teahouse with modern café. The condensed serif was chosen for its sophistication and elegance. The clean sans serif balanced it with its high legibility and contemporary edge.

COLOR PALETTE

A palette inspired by the spring blossoms

Inspired by natural matcha tones and soft strawberry hues, the palette combines rich greens with an occasional pink, playful pop. The colors create an atmosphere that feels both calm and refreshing.

ITERATION TWO FEEDBACK:

  • Judge/Jury still felt very passive and distracted.

    • Jury felt like observers and not active players.

  • Attorneys forget about the Crime and go on tangents.

  • Good prompting so far, heavily reliant on player performance. Should utilize real debate structures.

COLOR PALETTE

A palette inspired by the spring blossoms

Inspired by natural matcha tones and soft strawberry hues, the palette combines rich greens with an occasional pink, playful pop. The colors create an atmosphere that feels both calm and refreshing.

BRAND ILLUSTRATIONS

Emphasizing a human touch with hand-drawn illustrations

Contrasting with the clean logo suite, the illustrations were intentionally designed with imperfect lines and crosshatched textures that introduce a more human, tactile quality. Their stamp-like aesthetic adds warmth and personality throughout the brand identity.

BRAND IDENTITY

The entire brand identity on one page

A brand sheet with the logo suite, typography, color palette, and pattern.

BRANDING APPLICATIONS

Bringing the brand to life

A peek at the packaging, menus, signage, social media, website, and merchandise brought to life.

REFLECTION

01

Restraint is a positive.

Restraint is a positive.

Throughout the project, I learned how important restraint in branding design is. While my natural style is usually filled with bold colors, large shapes, and dense layouts, I had to take a step back to let the designs breathe. Ryokucha was strongest when the visuals were simple. Careful spacing, limited color usage, and intentional hierarchy created a more refined brand identity.

02

Building a cohesive brand identity.

Building a cohesive brand identity.

One of the biggest challenges was creating a visual system where every element felt cohesive without becoming repetitive. Experimenting with how each element could blend together helped me better understand how branding develops into a complete visual experience.

03

Balancing contemporary and traditional concepts.

Balancing contemporary and traditional concepts.

I wanted Ryokucha to evidently feel inspired by Japanese culture without leaning too heavily into stereotypical visual tropes for matcha cafés. This required research into competitors and subtle cultural references that could shape a clear brand identity for American audiences.

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