HALLELUJAH Kitchen & Bar visual identity
In order to create a visual identity that fully reflects the soul of his place, I asked Shuji, the owner of HALLELUJAH Kitchen & Bar, how he envisioned his bar.
He enthusiastically described the atmosphere he wanted to create, the type of customers he wanted to welcome and the food he would serve. But he also told me about the decoration and the music he would play.
The sum of all these details allowed me to create a bespoke visual identity.
Business cards, shop cards and flyers
A welcoming place, between the modernized popular izakaya and the dining bar
Location and opening hours
Shuji chose the Nagarekawa district, a very lively place at night in Hiroshima. Ideal for its opening hours: from 6pm to 5am.
The atmosphere
He wanted to create a welcoming place where everyone would feel comfortable. Neither snobbish nor hipster. Somewhere between a modernised popular izakaya and a dining bar. A place where you could also come just to have a drink.
The decoration
Shuji explained to me that there would be a large counter around which you could sit. But also some tables and sofa corners.
A pink front door, lots of plants and wood. Chairs and decorations that were deliberately mismatched, pop colours, strange knick-knacks, magazines and art books. He had also planned a large screen on which films like Trainspotting or concerts like Woodstock would be shown. In short, a place that is neither too pretentious nor intimidating.
The musical atmosphere
Reggae, ska, rocksteady, hip-hop, rock… nothing too aggressive.
The food*
Western (ajillo, jerk chicken, pasta, curry, Serrano ham on the counter) and nostalgic Japanese “B gourmet” (grilled fish, oden, tulip karaage, nitamago…), while focusing on the quality of the ingredients.
(* He has since stopped serving food to concentrate on the bar business)
The target customers
Japanese salarymen, young people, groups of girls, party people. But also lone customers who want to chat at the bar or young foreign tourists who want to taste the local atmosphere while feeling comfortable.
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As someone who goes to HALLELUJAH quite often, I can assure you that Shuji has succeeded in creating the atmosphere he imagined and attracting the clientele he hoped for.
Clipped menus in Japanese and English
Shuji, the owner of Hallelujah and the logo he tattooed on his arm
The mood board, the bar owner’s tastes
Knowing the soul or the spirit of a place whose visual identity you are going to create is essential. But in order to be sure to interpret it visually in the most accurate way, I also needed to understand the aesthetic universe of its owner.
Shuji provided me with lettering, logos, signs or packaging that are quite old school and have a rather artisanal treatment. Warm and vivid colours, almost primary, ornamental patterns, tattoos, raw materials (wood, kraft paper) and some visuals with South American accents.
With all this in mind, I was able to create his logo and his various printed materials (opening flyers, menus, business cards, shop cards).
He also used his logo to create a laser engraved wooden door handle, key holders, lighted signs, coasters, stickers. He has even had his logo tattooed on his arm, proving that he is very happy with it!
Stickers with the logo
Laser carved wooden key holder
Name cards and shop cards
Onion rings and tuna cheek
Flyer for the opening of the restaurant
Handle of the door laser-carved in wood
Coaster
