Tempo

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

UX/UI Design, Motion Design

Tools

Figma, Adobe Creative Suite (After Effects, Premiere Pro)

Team

Maxwell Brooks, Lia Chon, Kiana Gregorich, Hayden Kim Dernbach, Caleb Aguiar, Eli Kimchi, Johann de Villiers

Duration

5 weeks

Problem Space

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 Depature’s current design decisions felt outdated and at odds with the high-end, upscale dining experience they seem to propose/convey.

Pain Point: Fragmentation

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 Depature’s current design decisions felt outdated and at odds with the high-end, upscale dining experience they seem to propose/convey.

Pain Point: Training Discrepancy

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 Depature’s current design decisions felt outdated and at odds with the high-end, upscale dining experience they seem to propose/convey.

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 Through this rebrand, I hope to update outdated & inconsistent design decisions, imbue cultural intention into the brand system, and ultimately elevate an elegant & upscale restaurant.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