A Brand Refresh for Iron Chef Morimoto

giving an established brand a new look

Schoos Design has designed the interiors of five restaurants for Masaharu Morimoto, the star and multiple winner of Iron Chef in both America and Japan. When Schoos Design became Morimoto’s design firm, we took responsibility for the company’s branding and corporate identity as well.  On the branding front, I designed a comprehensive new branding strategy for the firm, including a new logo for the restaurant chain, using Mr. Morimoto’s family seal or “hanko” as a major element. 

Another graphic element that became a consistent part of the corporate branding was a background gradient that fades from a vibrant color to white.  A different color was chosen for each restaurant, evoking the mood of that restaurant’s setting:  grey for Morimoto Napa, lime green for Morimoto Waikiki, sky blue for Morimoto Maui, and tropical purple for Morimoto Mexico City.

The New Logos

The logos below show the consistency in branding from restaurant to restaurant while also allowing for a distinctive color palette for each location.

Print Collateral

The menus and other printed collateral for the restaurants maintain key elements of the overall brand while introducing variations for each restaurant, mostly in terms of the background gradient color. Each restaurant also has a signature image that is featured on the menu covers and website home page. Below, you can see how the gradient is used as a background for the awnings across the front of Morimoto Napa.

Morimoto Napa

Branded materials created for Morimoto Napa use a cool grey gradient appropriate for the refined elegance of its wine-country setting. Note how the elongated “M” in Morimoto became a graphic element that can be adjusted to fit the size and shape of any branded item.  

For the menu covers, an image of an ancient grape vine was used in tones of grey, evoking the tradition and history of the Napa valley.  Weathered grape vines like these were also used throughout the restaurant as part of the art and decor, reinforcing the brand concept.

Part of the branding of Morimoto Napa also involved creating wall art inside the restaurant that would evoke the proper atmosphere for the brand. Since Morimoto is known for fish, we decided to use giant murals of fish and octopus, for which I was recruited as photographer (another role I fill at Schoos). We actually had to purchase fish and octopus and experimented with cooking them in different ways to find an appealing presentation.  The images were then Photoshopped to create a repeating pattern and enlarged to fit two very large walls. 

A word of caution: Raw octopus is disgusting! It must be cooked to look nice. Also, if you ever attempt this, be advised: your hands will smell funny for days.

Morimoto Waikiki

For Morimoto Waikiki, a bright lime green color was chosen for the signature gradient (see below), evoking the zen-like design of the restaurant’s interior, which makes frequent use of moss.  The bright color is also evocative of a festive vacation environment.

For the menu covers, an image of coral was used, reflecting the use of real coral on display throughout the restaurant.  The coral image is printed without color, using a glossy-on-matte technique, so that the image is visible only when the light catches the cover at the right angle.  The image is thus more of an organic texture than a recognizable image.

Packaging and Branded Items

In keeping with the five-star quality of Morimoto restaurants, we thought it essential to extend the brand into as many aspects of the restaurant as possible, including sushi to-go boxes, matches, shopping bags, soup containers, writing pens, etc. The image below shows a selection of these items. For more, please see my Packaging section.