EAST STREET, LONDON |
Friday 13 Jan 2012
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‘i-am' were appointed during the evolution stages to help develop and build a completely new brand identity for the launch of East Street in London. This included the creation of a new name and logo, graphic elements and complete interior design for the site.
We took bold steps to ensure that East Street had a solid brand proposition that resonated with their customer base. The tone of voice is friendly and warm with the core value ‘to create a Pan Asian food odyssey.' The choice of materials, furniture and the overall delivery of the brand had to be unified and relate to the brand values.
Everything was a direct take on the experience of travel, specifically through Asia. We wanted to emulate the raw vibe of a South East Asian market and street cafe. From the very beginning we didn't want to lose sight of how intimate the restaurant should feel, you should be totally immersed in the street market experience.
The problem we faced was that we wanted to do all of this in a central London setting. To overcome this, and keep the brand proposition relevant target customer, products and materials were given a modern ‘Soho makeover'. The red and blue wire chairs are a good example of how we wanted to take the stereotype of the plastic café chairs, so often seen in eateries across Asia, and give them a modern spin. The introduction of the graphic light boxes, hung as though each of them bustling for a position on the Hong Kong street.
During the research process we were obsessed by that almost romantic sexiness of the underground bar/ club culture in Hong Kong and Bangkok the deep pink glow given off by the fluorescents in the window are a direct take on things we had seen or experienced in Asia. At night the restaurant transforms itself into this eclectic mass of glowing colour and vibrancy.
Nick Jeffrey and David Fox of Tampopo comment, "To launch a new restaurant in an already overcrowded London restaurant community you have to demonstrate diversity and a clear point of difference. With East Street, ‘i-am' have helped us to create a brand identity and values that are instantly recognisable from moment you enter the restaurant right down to the service and the food and drink consumed."
i-am associates