Area
Hospitality
Breadth
Identity
Print
Signage
Environmental
Yorkshire meets Yokohama
Owned by D&D, Issho is a contemporary Japanese restaurant in the heart of Leeds. Its name means ‘together’ in Japanese and this acts as a theme throughout the project. To represent this idea of ‘togetherness’ the logo features a ‘double s’ glyph framed within the rounded square of a Japanese hanko seal. For printed items, we referenced the ancient Japanese art form of Kintsugi, through which an item is repaired with gold joins to make it more desirable than before.
We worked with Eley Kishimoto to create three bespoke patterns: one based around the white rose of Yorkshire; one featuring a Japanese ichimatsu stream; and a third that combines the two.
Yorkshire pattern
Japanese pattern
Combined pattern
Yorkshire pattern
Japanese pattern
Combined pattern
We created six large artworks of Japanese/British people, shot by Laura Lewis and Benjamin Bentley, joined by a large copper foil. These are hung in various locations within the space.
Placeholder
Placeholder
Placeholder
Placeholder
Placeholder
Placeholder
A distressed metal plate with a copper kintsugi join is used for the exterior sign, while the directional signage is provided by warm light boxes that bring to mind the glow of traditional Japanese paper lamps.
Finally, we had over 50 small kintsugi-style plates and dishes made to act as the bill holders for the end of the meal.
