Match
books
Sweet Maple
PROJECT BRIEF: Design branded matchbooks to be used as marketing and collectible items for the restaurant Sweet Maple.
PROBLEM: Compete for consumer attention in a market that is growing more interested in physical media
DESIGN INTENT: Honor the Korean-Fusion menu and highlight the internet-famed Million Dollar Bacon
INSIGHT: My favorite part of the process was adding personalization to an existing font to create a one-of-a-kind logotype
OUTCOME: Two matchbooks that are begging to be posted online and kept as a keepsake
RESEARCH & MOODBOARD: Sweet Maple is a Korean-Fusion brunch restaurant which first opened in San Francisco, CA. The restaurant's claim to fame is their thick cut "Millionaire's Bacon." I was inspired by Korean traditional patterns and learned that in Korean folklore, the pig represents wealth. I brought these ideas to a Mind Map and Mood Board where they became themes to guide later design decisions.
THUMBNAILS: I sketched some cover thumbnails, further exploring ideas of traditional Korean patterns, pigs, and bacon. I borrowed from the existing style guide of the brand, featuring a muted blue color palette, and modernized it by turning up the saturation.
GRAPHICS: I rendered a texture-rich slice of bacon as an homage to the popular menu item. The end result also resembles the state of California where the restaurant originates, giving this version of the matchbook design a fun double meaning.
GRAPHICS: I experimented with risograph-style color overlaying and traditional Korean patterns. After spending waaayy too much time trying to get this lil' piggy perfect, realized that it wouldn't translate well on the small canvas of the matchbook cover and simplified my design.
LOGOTYPE: To replicate the imperfect print texture in the graphics, I outlined a sans-serif typeface with the paintbrush tool. The end result was a totally unique logotype for the brand. I liked the idea of having the Korean word for PIG featured on the matchbooks, but later cut it in favor of a simpler design.
DIELINES: Finally, it was time to apply the designs to a die line. My favorite detail: the traditional Korean pattern that was cut in an earlier design phase found a new home on the inner panel, and becomes visible over time as the matches are used up.
MOCKS: The same 3D artist from the Thunderbowl project brought the matchbooks to life through mock ups!
