Palette Tea House
- Project Duration: 1 Year
- Role: Brand Designer & Graphic Designer
Palette Tea House is the third installment into the restaurant franchise following Koi Palace (1996), and Dragon Beaux (2015), Palette introduces a modernized approach to yum cha, seafood, and traditional Cantonese cuisine. Palette's first restaurant found home at Ghirardelli Square with another restaurant opening in San Mateo in the near future. The Ghirardelli Square location features a main dining room, an enclosed patio, a quick-serve area, and a bar with a cocktail program cultivated by the award-winning Carlos Yturria. I was hired to design graphic assets and consult on brand direction for the first restaurant launch.
Link to the Website.
Building an Identity
I had the opportunity to work outside of the digital medium, and dip my toes in to print media, 3D product design, and storefront advertisements.
I designed their picture book menu, their outdoor standing sign, window vinyl advertisements, and bar lists. With each completed project, we established solidified Palette’s identity. We utilized a monochromatic color palette, which is popular in their target demographic, and focuses attention to areas of color and contrast. Our intention was to utilize negative space and a minimalistic color palette to emphasize the restaurant’s idiosyncrasies, such as the repurposed slate from Chinese roof tiles, and the colorful food.
The Logo
The logo is a geometric abstraction of an overhead view of Palette’s staple item, the five-colored xiao long bao in a dim sum basket. The shape took form by working through multiple connotations of the word “palette”. We were inspired by painter’s palettes, floral arrangements, and the Hong Kong flag. We leaned heavily on the geometric abstraction form because we found such a simple shape can be perceived in many ways, which is expressed in the Palette Tea House Experience.
Digital Designs
I assisted in developing the online presence through their website and instagram. I worked together with another freelance photographer to define the type of imagery to use for our campaigns, and for the visual design on the website. Also featured is a digital menu displayed on television monitors for their Quick Service restaurant items.
