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Enso

Digital

,

Print

,

Identity

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Multimedia

,

Elegant appetizer presentation featuring white ceramic spoons filled with thinly sliced fish, garnished with herbs and a creamy topping, arranged on a dark slate serving board.
Elegant appetizer presentation featuring white ceramic spoons filled with thinly sliced fish, garnished with herbs and a creamy topping, arranged on a dark slate serving board.

Intro

Representing cyclical spiritual growth through design.

Called upon to conceptualize the branding and peripherals for a chef’s table dinner, I collaborated with a team of designers to craft our culinary counterparts’ interpretation of spirituality throughout the human life cycle.

Close-up of a chef wearing gloves slicing a yellow bell pepper on a wooden cutting board in a professional kitchen setting.
Close-up of a chef wearing gloves slicing a yellow bell pepper on a wooden cutting board in a professional kitchen setting.

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Close-up of a chef wearing gloves slicing a yellow bell pepper on a wooden cutting board in a professional kitchen setting.
Close-up of a chef wearing gloves slicing a yellow bell pepper on a wooden cutting board in a professional kitchen setting.

Opportunity

Holistic Development

Expanding on their thinking behind the event, our clients explained that the theme was based on the idea that spiritual growth is a cyclical journey that occurs throughout one’s life. They would represent this message through the food they prepared by taking guests on a journey of refinement as each course of their meal builds upon the last. To complement this, we would brand the narrative symbolically by utilizing Enso, a Buddhist mark that expresses a moment when the mind is free to let the body create. This would lay the foundation for the brand voice while also affording us the opportunity to expand on its aesthetic through the use of type, color, and illustration.

Minimalist design featuring a hand-drawn black enso circle with the word "ensō" centered inside, set against a white background with a muted teal frame.
Minimalist design featuring a hand-drawn black enso circle with the word "ensō" centered inside, set against a white background with a muted teal frame.

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Minimalist design featuring a hand-drawn black enso circle with the word "ensō" centered inside, set against a white background with a muted teal frame.
Minimalist design featuring a hand-drawn black enso circle with the word "ensō" centered inside, set against a white background with a muted teal frame.

Development

Staying true to the literal interpretation of Enso, we based the logo on the iconic circular brush stroke that is most commonly associated with the ideology. For illustrations, we focused on that of a pomegranate–a component not only being utilized by the chef team but also as a vehicle for the narrative of growth. Serving as the perfect storytelling device, we incorporated depictions of the fruit at various stages throughout the menu, each correlating to a specific dish. This focal point would be accompanied by deliverables that serve a dual-purpose for both guests and staff alike, promoting the cross-utilization of assets and an intentional, zen-like immersion.

Hand-painted illustration depicting the growth stages of a pomegranate tree, from sprout to mature tree, followed by blooming branches and ripe fruit, set against a white background.
Hand-painted illustration depicting the growth stages of a pomegranate tree, from sprout to mature tree, followed by blooming branches and ripe fruit, set against a white background.

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Hand-painted illustration depicting the growth stages of a pomegranate tree, from sprout to mature tree, followed by blooming branches and ripe fruit, set against a white background.
Hand-painted illustration depicting the growth stages of a pomegranate tree, from sprout to mature tree, followed by blooming branches and ripe fruit, set against a white background.

Solution

Introspective Dining

The efforts of this brand’s development, along with the execution of the culinary portion of the project as performed by the chef team, culminated into a successful night for the Enso chef’s table. Equipped with branded invitations, table tents, interactive centerpieces, menus, coasters, comment cards, to-go boxes, and a seven-course meal, the event served as a considerate evening in which guests could take time out of their day to relax, interact, and dine.

Close-up of a printed event invitation with the bold heading "Reintroduce Yourself" in serif typeface, followed by a tagline about introspection and a holistic culinary experience.
Close-up of a printed event invitation with the bold heading "Reintroduce Yourself" in serif typeface, followed by a tagline about introspection and a holistic culinary experience.

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Close-up of a printed event invitation with the bold heading "Reintroduce Yourself" in serif typeface, followed by a tagline about introspection and a holistic culinary experience.
Close-up of a printed event invitation with the bold heading "Reintroduce Yourself" in serif typeface, followed by a tagline about introspection and a holistic culinary experience.
A circular wooden object with the word "ensō" engraved in the center, surrounded by a brushstroke-style ring etched into the wood, symbolizing Zen and simplicity.
A circular wooden object with the word "ensō" engraved in the center, surrounded by a brushstroke-style ring etched into the wood, symbolizing Zen and simplicity.

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A circular wooden object with the word "ensō" engraved in the center, surrounded by a brushstroke-style ring etched into the wood, symbolizing Zen and simplicity.
A circular wooden object with the word "ensō" engraved in the center, surrounded by a brushstroke-style ring etched into the wood, symbolizing Zen and simplicity.
A circular menu card labeled "Abundance," featuring an appetizer description with seared sea scallops, pomegranate relish, coconut, Thai chili, and charred asparagus, placed on a wooden plate.
A circular menu card labeled "Abundance," featuring an appetizer description with seared sea scallops, pomegranate relish, coconut, Thai chili, and charred asparagus, placed on a wooden plate.

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A circular menu card labeled "Abundance," featuring an appetizer description with seared sea scallops, pomegranate relish, coconut, Thai chili, and charred asparagus, placed on a wooden plate.
A circular menu card labeled "Abundance," featuring an appetizer description with seared sea scallops, pomegranate relish, coconut, Thai chili, and charred asparagus, placed on a wooden plate.
A circular menu card labeled "Vitality," featuring a salad description with grilled chicory, frisée, tangerine supremes, persimmon, poppy seeds, pickled fennel, quinoa, and mustard vinaigrette.
A circular menu card labeled "Vitality," featuring a salad description with grilled chicory, frisée, tangerine supremes, persimmon, poppy seeds, pickled fennel, quinoa, and mustard vinaigrette.

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A circular menu card labeled "Vitality," featuring a salad description with grilled chicory, frisée, tangerine supremes, persimmon, poppy seeds, pickled fennel, quinoa, and mustard vinaigrette.
A circular menu card labeled "Vitality," featuring a salad description with grilled chicory, frisée, tangerine supremes, persimmon, poppy seeds, pickled fennel, quinoa, and mustard vinaigrette.
A circular menu card labeled "Connection," featuring a dessert description with coconut cardamom panna cotta, citrus slices, mango purée, toasted coconut, pistachio flaxseed crumble, and tapioca pearls.
A circular menu card labeled "Connection," featuring a dessert description with coconut cardamom panna cotta, citrus slices, mango purée, toasted coconut, pistachio flaxseed crumble, and tapioca pearls.

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A circular menu card labeled "Connection," featuring a dessert description with coconut cardamom panna cotta, citrus slices, mango purée, toasted coconut, pistachio flaxseed crumble, and tapioca pearls.
A circular menu card labeled "Connection," featuring a dessert description with coconut cardamom panna cotta, citrus slices, mango purée, toasted coconut, pistachio flaxseed crumble, and tapioca pearls.
A circular menu card labeled "Clarity," featuring a hot beverage description with black pepper tea, vanilla, cinnamon, lavender, sage, juniper, and a lotus root chip garnish.
A circular menu card labeled "Clarity," featuring a hot beverage description with black pepper tea, vanilla, cinnamon, lavender, sage, juniper, and a lotus root chip garnish.

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A circular menu card labeled "Clarity," featuring a hot beverage description with black pepper tea, vanilla, cinnamon, lavender, sage, juniper, and a lotus root chip garnish.
A circular menu card labeled "Clarity," featuring a hot beverage description with black pepper tea, vanilla, cinnamon, lavender, sage, juniper, and a lotus root chip garnish.
A circular menu card labeled "Abundance," describing an appetizer of seared sea scallops, horseradish picada, pomegranate relish, coconut, Thai chili, charred asparagus, and turnip green chips.
A circular menu card labeled "Abundance," describing an appetizer of seared sea scallops, horseradish picada, pomegranate relish, coconut, Thai chili, charred asparagus, and turnip green chips.

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A circular menu card labeled "Abundance," describing an appetizer of seared sea scallops, horseradish picada, pomegranate relish, coconut, Thai chili, charred asparagus, and turnip green chips.
A circular menu card labeled "Abundance," describing an appetizer of seared sea scallops, horseradish picada, pomegranate relish, coconut, Thai chili, charred asparagus, and turnip green chips.
Wooden gift boxes engraved with the word "ensō," filled with elegantly wrapped treats tied with sheer ribbons, placed on a white serving tray.
Wooden gift boxes engraved with the word "ensō," filled with elegantly wrapped treats tied with sheer ribbons, placed on a white serving tray.

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Wooden gift boxes engraved with the word "ensō," filled with elegantly wrapped treats tied with sheer ribbons, placed on a white serving tray.
Wooden gift boxes engraved with the word "ensō," filled with elegantly wrapped treats tied with sheer ribbons, placed on a white serving tray.