Departure

2026

Departure is an upscale restaurant located on the 15th floor of the Nines Hotel in downtown Portland. They offer Asian fusion cuisine, including primarily Chinese & Japanese dishes. My rebrand hopes to bring modernity, elegance, and cultural authenticity to the restaurant.

Role

Brand Identity

Tools

Adobe Creative Suite, Figma

Team

Solo

Duration

6 weeks

Process: Client Background

I began my process by researching the brand identity as is. Depature’s current design decisions felt outdated and at odds with the high-end, upscale dining experience they seem to propose & convey.

Current visual identity

Photography of Departure

Design Process

In my initial research, I found that Departure’s current executive chef, Chef U’i Vele, hopes to: “make sure Departure is in tune with the surrounding community of diners and chefs by bringing intentionality and purpose to our efforts and our menu.” Being Chinese myself, I interpreted this through a cultural perspective: the identity should reflect the intention of the menu and of the restaurant itself.

Developing a Concept
Throughout my process, I was inspired by the colors, textures, and patterns I saw in modern Chinese and Japanese design. Through my two moodboards, I wanted to combine aspects vibrant cultural foods and elegant minimal design. As I began sketching, I grew increasing inspired by the idea of birds, inspired by both cultural connotations (cranes in East Asian tradition) and one of Departure’s strongest selling points: its panoramic, beautiful skyline.

Initial ideation sketches

Developing bird concept

Final Rebrand

My final brand system for Portland’s Departure. Through this rebrand, I hope to update outdated & inconsistent design decisions, imbue cultural intention into the brand system, and ultimately elevate an elegant & upscale restaurant.

Extended brand symbol: inspired by Chinese seal script

Extended brand pattern

Final Thoughts

Through this project, I learned that intentionality is key to successful design. I would like to thank my instructor, Gabriel Stromberg, and my classmates for asking and challenging me on my design decisions. When designing for a client, it isn’t just about what I think would be best; rather, it should be decided by what is ultimately best for the brand.