Chè - Vietnamese Cafe
Welcome to Chè, a Vietnamese coffee and dessert café. Our purpose is to provide a cultural third space for everyone to eat, connect, and experience Vietnamese-American culture through food.
I spearheaded this project using Figma,
Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop, Framer, and physical print.
ROLE
Principle Designer
INDUSTRY
Food Services
DELIVERABLES
Brand Book
Brand Poster
Brand Presentation
Competitive Research
WHO WE ARE
We are a Vietnamese coffee and dessert café called 'Chè.' Its purpose is to provide a cultural third space for students to study, connect, and experience Vietnamese American culture through food.
Going into this semester long project, I engaged deeply in competitive research and analysis to inform my design and brand decisions.
I began with my mission statement for my proposed cafe,
“To empower community building and deliver enriching experiences.”
And my vision statement,
“To create an inclusive space for community, connection, and culture.”
BRAND PERFORMANCE AND IMAGERY
Once I outlined my goals, I researched similar brands and resources.
I didn't stick to researching other cafes. I dove into community service groups, retail, tech, health, brands from Vietnam, etc, that shared ethos and ultimate visions. Cross industry brand research helped me define successful markers of brands with a similar mission.
Online research helped, but in person experience was vital.
I analyzed 2 competitors to evaluate what worked and what didn't in a cafe setting based in the Boston Back Bay area.
Ultimately, my insights led me to determine a positioning map. I chose Chè to sit at the intersection of authentic Viet goods and relaxing lounge-like settings.
My research revealed that no cafe in the Back Bay / Fenway area occupied the specialized + lounge quadrant while also centering Vietnamese and Asian-cultural identity.
This led me to build my guiding principles - core philosophies that steer decisions:
Authenticity, Community, Culture.
My research guided my moodboarding.
I drew inspiration from notable textures and motifs, tying in traditional and common materials used in Vietnamese cafes found in the country's many cities. An overwhelming amount of these spaces grow organically, an aspect of my branding I wanted to emphasize.
Customer Response
Defining a target audience for my brand was intuitive, and backed by my previous research to reach a distinctive collective in Boston.
I wanted college students, whether of Vietnamese background or not, to have a sense of home through our food and hospitality.
I wanted Vietnamese community members to have a space dedicated to their culture.
I wanted the people of Boston to discover past the surface level of Vietnamese identity.
Brand Relationships
Our positioning statement:
For students, remote workers, or friends, Chè offers a meaningful third space for your many purposes because we believe a good life is spent meeting people and eating good food.
These key decisions led me to most expertly tailor brand messaging and marketing efforts to connect with my intended group.
Merchandise - I wanted to make an emblem of the Vietnamese language, paying homage to street signs seen in Vietnam. The minimal designs are to emphasize the words and accents that Vietnamese has to offer.
Menu - designed with community in mind. On the front describes all food offerings that Chè has.
Once you flip to the back, it boasts community events, local resources, and community member highlights.
Spreading information about Viet cultural resources was vital. It not only contributed to customer experience, but is a practice of design justice.
Social Media - Chè's digital presence should be curated and tailored to our intended audience. It was prototyped to uplift AAPI voices, engage users by sharing innovative recipes, events, and influencers, and most importantly, showcase Chè's services.
