Cafe 88 | Branding Redesign
Accepted into the 2024 WORK National Juried Exhibition
Cafe 88, located in Stillwater, Oklahoma, is a local restaurant that provides affordable food and a pleasant eating environment. Chinese restaurants in America usually have dragons or pandas in their logo or branding. Chinese culture has more to offer than the standard American's perception of the country, and I wanted to explore that.
The inspiration for the monogram and the logotype came from Chinese calligraphy and Chinese seals. I wanted these logos to feel handcrafted and personable since these are the qualities Cafe 88 has as well.
Cafe 88 opened in 2009, and this year was the year of the ox in Chinese culture. This gave me the idea to hand-draw an ox that has the same calligraphic feel as the logotypes, but with an added Chinese paper-cut design. The ox not only authentically represents Chinese culture, but also appeals to Cafe 88's audience. Cafe 88sits nearly on campus of Oklahoma State University: a southern school that has many students who grew up around cattle. Not only does the ox appeal to Cafe 88's audience, it also represents Cafe 88 itself. Both are hard-working and reliable.
