Masu Sushi
Restaurant Rebrand
The new owners of Masu, a longstanding downtown restaurant, approached me with a branding problem—they had inherited an outdated visual identity that no longer suited their vision for the restaurant’s next chapter under their leadership and the new head chef’s culinary leanings.
Together we collaborated on a new look and feel to breathe life into the brand reflective of the spirit of the new owners and their dreams for the future of Masu.
Along with a new visual brand identity, this project scope included a full suite of design-in-use for a small business: a website, menu designs, takeout container branding, business cards, paper chopstick covers, vinyl door signage, sandwich board signage, gift cards, and merch.
Photography: Christine Dong
Masu Sushi
Menu Design
Masu prides itself on a generous menu of offerings, including a dinner menu, sushi menu, lunch menu, happy hour menu, dessert menu, and extensive drinks menu.
The challenge of designing new menus for Masu was that the printed pieces have to withstand potential food spills, with their arch enemy being soy sauce. Masu was experiencing a high rate menu printing, having to retire them constantly in order to present their clientele with fresh and clean menus, and was looking for a thoughtfully designed solution.
After exploring a range of menu designs and materials, we decided on a portfolio cover for the dinner menu that would protect the interior pages when closed. An elastic spine allowed pages to be easily replaced by their waitstaff. Inside the menu is a nigiri and sashimi menu printed with white ink and premium dark blue paper. For the drinks menu, a plasticized paper is used and a taller height fits all the offerings while providing visual contrast of sizes on the table.
My role was all visual design as well as as paper sourcing, vendor research, and vendor communications.
Masu Sushi
Website
The website needed to be simple, easy-to-navigate, and get customers information they need about the restaurant and reservations. It also had to tell Masu’s story and help to introduce existing customers to the new owners while being exceedingly functional for new and curious potential diners.
Ample white space and use of photography by Christine Dong convy the lovely peaceful atmosphere of the restaurant, communicating a premium and relaxing dining experience.
