CHALLENGES

The client had very specific visions of how they wanted to be represented. The focus was clearly on the color choice and the main element of the spiral. The challenge was to meet these specifications, while still creating a functional, legible logo. This was challenging as the colors chosen were low contrast colors and the background was a very bright blue and white sky. Another challenge was creating a brand image that represents the spiritual nature of the business but is still trustworthy and accessible to the general public. 

SOLUTIONS

In order to make the yellow spiral and writing visible on the bright background, without losing the overall mood a white mask was applied to the background around the yellow to create more contrast. Combining of the photographic background, as well as the incorporation of Ursula, the owner of Light guided journey, helped to bring a modern point of view to the traditional spiral image and added personality to the brand image.

AUDIENCE NEEDS

The audience is a very caring and conscious one, so transparence and clearness of the concept is important. To ensure this the overall concept has been included in the design of the menu. Further, this target audience expects authenticity, this has been considered in research of the meaning of mandala in the Japanese and Buddhist context, as well as research on the shojin ryori food that is served in the restaurant. This research has been underdone in Japan and the designs were all critiqued by Japanese students and professors. As the mandala has been taken out of its original context in a lot of western cultures and is known as beautiful patterns often seen in tattoos or adult coloring in books, this expectation has also been considered and the design is a combination of a color and pattern study of the older, traditional, Buddhist mandalas and the overall layout and design of the modern, western, take on the mandala. Thus, the design ensures that both audiences, with the Japanese or Western understanding, can relate to it.