Tonkotsu
Visual Identity, Packaging Design
Year: 2018
Client: Tonkotsu
Agency: Something More Near
Photo: Tonkotsu
Summary
Tonkotsu is a ramen restaurant brand in London.
The branding communicates Tonkotsu’s inherent craftsmanship as well as reflecting the cultures of London and Japan.
Deliverables
Logomark
Visual Identity Elements
Patterns
Label
Menu
Pavement Sign
Tonkotsu is a restaurant brand leading the ramen scene in London. As a growing business, they wanted to develop a new approach to their brand to enable them to stand out in a competitive market.
From the in-store noodle machine to the serving bowl, Tonkotsu wanted to communicate their devotion to the craft of ramen and give their customers a unique, modern experience that represents the fusion of Japan and London.
In Japan, “Tonkotsu” is a specific style of ramen prepared with pork bone broth. One of the main challenges of the brief was then to present a modern, unique image that would set the brand apart from more traditional Ramen houses, even to people familiar with ramen culture.
Tonkotsu is a conjunction of two words: Ton, meaning pork and Kotsu, for bone. Kotsu, if used alone, can also represent the the spirit or the core of something. We developed an icon based on the Japanese character for Kotsu which, as well as looking distinctive, would also be a clear reference to the brand for those that can read Japanese.
Patterns of noodles and utensils
The brand colours representing a mix of tradition and modernity
To visualise Tonkotsu’s devotion to ramen and their cultural mix of modern Japan and London, we created patterns illustrating noodle and utensils, using Western geometric shapes and incorporating handmade textures reminiscent of Japanese calligraphy.
Visual Identity Elements
