Bonsai is a chic, Japanese-fusion restaurant located in downtown Honolulu. The restaurant's branding was influenced by its "Now + Zen" tagline, inspiring a subtle weaving of modern and traditional elements. Custom black and white photographs portray a young, Asian female identifying with traditional elements, such as hairstyle and accessories, while asserting a modern confidence in her body and its elaborate decoration. The treatment of the "O" in the logo responds to a traditional bonsai pruning technique of "jin", an aesthetic represented by a single dead branch left (or groomed) at the top of a bonsai plant that gives the illusion of age or the tree's struggle for survival. The rest of the brand also keeps in the spirit of "jin", such as toothpicks that include a single red one in the bunch.









Credits
Client: Bonsai Restaurant + Lounge
Photography: Ron Yueng
Additional Design: Jesse Arneson
Done at Wall-to-Wall Studios
2008

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Scott Naauao
Branding, Design, and Art Direction
hi@naauao.com