Initially a mural and logo brief, this project became a full brand illustration for the Auckland restaurant Hello Beasty.
Designer and restaurateur Emma Rogan dreamt up this psychedelic scene of a woman riding a giant cat amidst a forest of oversized vegetation. Her idea was based upon the Japanese tradition of ukiyo-e painting, and contemporary interpretations of this tradition through pop-culture.
Through our collaboration, the scene evolved to include a giant eel ominously snaking below the flora. The illustration spills out into the restaurant through wall graphics, menus and giant, colourful kowhai flower lampshades (made by Angus Muir Design).
The Beasty Cat logo emblem — with a cat body and a tentacle for a tail – is our unique take on a maneki-neko, a Japanese lucky cat. The idea is one of fusion, a concept of cultural and food fusion that sits at the heart of Hello Beasty.
Interior fit out by Material Creative. Restaurant photography by Sam Hartnett.