Brief Explanation

Modern Shanghai aims to be approachable and contemporary without losing authenticity. If one translates the Chinese meaning of the logo, it means “Home Shanghai”. We had an extensive tour introducing all site visits of restaurants in malls by the one of the founders himself of 1957 & Co. Details from cutlery to the interiors including the plants surrounding the restaurants were explained to us with the story behind it. Absorbing the environment and understanding what inspired the founder allowed us to gain a more in-depth understanding of the vision. Our goal was to create an identity that compliments the surroundings.

The Brief

Modern Shanghai is a new restaurant that will be launched in an upcoming mall in the New Territories of Hong Kong, owned by restaurant concept group 1957 & Co. Creativity, originality and tasteful lifestyle are essentially the core values. Unlike many restaurant chains, they develop potential and well-known hospitality brands with an individual personality. With 7 restaurants in prime locations in Hong Kong, Modern Shanghai expands to China with plans to the international market. Modern Shanghai targets an audience of ages 25 – 35 who appreciate good- quality traditional Shanghainese dishes in a stylish environment at a reasonably cheap price.

How the final design was conceived

We had an extensive tour introducing all site visits of restaurants in malls by the one of the founders himself of 1957 & Co. Details in from cutlery to interior, to even the plants surrounding the restaurants were explained to us with the story behind it. Absorbing the environment and understanding what inspired the founder allowed us to gain a more in-depth understanding of the vision for Modern Shanghai. We also conducted research for each restaurant, cuisines of Thai, Japanese, Italian and Vietnamese and found the underlying thread was the authenticity of the culture. It was strongly reflected in the restaurant design aspects of paintings, floor tile materials and even scent. While designing for Modern Shanghai, no matter how contemporary and modernized it is visualized, there will always be a traditional element bound to it. The look and feel of the logo should take the viewer back to the country, in this case, China. We also conducted research for many logos from Shanghainese restaurants in prime locations, our findings showed they all had a classic approach with more script and handwritten-style logos, perhaps afraid to steer from the traditional. Therefore, we struck a more bold tone to the overall logo.

Indication of how successful the outcome was in the market

Compared to classic Chinese menus with more serious tones of color, the turquoise color will capture the attention of the audiences, as it looks vibrant and dynamic. Modern Shanghai’s look and feel draws a target audience who is seeking a fresher experience without abandoning the traditional Chinese ways. This especially targets the younger generation educated in the West, or have been exposed to the Western culture via media. The clean font with consistent strokes, steer away from the non-traditional Chinese character approach that is more rigid and formidable. This approach is more casual and inviting which suits the chic and contemporary interior that provides a more laid- back ambience. It is symbolic to a young Chinese individual with a more open mentality in the current contemporary society. In a busy mall compared to other Chinese logos, it will evidently stand out as it meet neither the East nor West which will arise curiosity and fascination to usual Hong Kong shoppers.