The Challenge

The first Ozu had no identity to speak of — a hand-painted noren and a reputation. Opening a second room meant the brand had to do work the noren had done in person, for guests who had never been.

The chef's only direction was: "Don't make it look like a restaurant."

Our Strategy

We built the identity as a piece of typography and a single ink colour — no mark, no menu illustrations, no photography on the site.

The brand exists almost entirely in the menu and the door. Everything else is the room.