Learn from the visual identity of restaurant Toko Downtown [RB #1]

November 1, 2017

Toko Restaurant Branding Visual Identity

In order to be the best, you need to beat the rest. That’s why looking at work from others is crucial for all designers. There’s so much excellent work out there and the one thing we should do is learn from it and then put this new knowledge to use.

This November, I want to share with you 3 top-notch restaurant branding examples. Every week I will release a new post. You’ll be able to easily recognize the posts because they have RB with the #number of the post in the title. So this is RB #1. Each example in this serie has its own interesting aspects. To make sure we really learn from these visual identities, I spoke with each designer and asked them to give us some more insight into the design and maybe some tips. Enjoy!

The restaurants that will be featured this November are:

Toko Restaurant
Bare Witness
Sandeman Chiado

The Toko restaurant is one of the best Japanese restaurants in Sydney. At the beginning of 2014, a second restaurant was opened in Dubai. Thanks to some of their interior-design friends, BrightHead Studio got assignment to design a new visual identity for Toko Downtown.

This small design studio (based in the heart of the Urals, on the border of Europe and Asia) wanted to create a style that emphasized the high status of the restaurant and its visitors. At the same time they wanted to create a style that didn’t seem arrogant, but rather sophisticated: bright and easily recognizable.

[blockquote text=”By combining two strands of Japanese culture we were able to create a truly modern, bright and rich visuals. ” show_quote_icon=”yes” width=”100″ text_color=”#019292″]

So, how do you do something like that?

Research relevant history and trends regarding the restaurant. In this case, this meant research about the Japanese culture, paintings and modern art.
Find interesting aspects that fit the restaurant. BrightHead Studio found the ‘marbling paper technique’ and the modern subculture where everything is about bright colors and mad dresses. Actually the complete opposite of the earlier established foundations and traditions of the country.
And then make a combination between those aspects. In this case, BrightHead Studio made a combination of traditional painting techniques and modern subculture.

Feeling inspired? I am!

So, to quickly sum it up.

Do your research: what’s the vision and mission of the restaurant, where is it located, what about its history, target audience, or dishes?
What are aspects that might be surprising or entertaining for the restaurant’s desired audience?
How can you make an interesting combination of those aspects?
And put it into the design!

I’d love to see your creations or any other examples you’ve found on the internet regarding good branding examples for restaurants. Please feel free to share them in the comments! I read them all.

Find out more about this project:

And a shoutout to BrightHead Studio for answering my questions and sharing their knowledge!