Branding by Studio Millie signifies the move from NYC to LA for a Pastry Shop created by Michelin Star Chefs
18/06/21
By Caitlin Wharton RGD, Founder & Creative Director at Millie
CONTEXT
Dōmi (short for do-ray-mi) was created in New York by 2 Michelin star pastry chefs who wanted to create pastries that would remind them of their travels and childhood memories. They reached out to us for a refreshed brand identity in preparation for their move to sunny LA. We wanted to create a brand that was reminiscent of the cool tones and their roots in New York City yet balanced with the purple and orange sunsets of California. The goal was to make this brand feel at home no matter where it lands.
METHODOLOGY
The biggest challenge was making this brand feel 'complete'. During our kick-off discovery session, we found that the client liked things simple… Suuuper simple. Being a team that loves to think outside the box, we tried to find ways to insert little bits of fun into the brand. We knew we wanted to incorporate 'rays' of sunlight, so we explored variations of a sun and rays peeking out throughout the design. We knew we’d have the opportunity to build it out into a pattern so that the interior, packaging and branding could shine. We landed on a modern, minimalist approach to the brand that has some fun elements, but also represents the simplicity and beauty of their creations.
RESULT
Keeping their love for simplicity in mind — we paired a simple wordmark that was similar enough to not scare off their devoted fans, and built out the overall visual identity with a colour palette, strong primary logo, with alternate options to spark interest, and a crisp bold typeface to build the full
Dōmi picture. To top it all off, we created various patterns for use on packaging boxes, menus and beyond.
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Caitlin is the Creative Director and Founder of Millie and a professor of design and colour theory at Centennial College and Humber College. When she is not sitting behind her giant computer screen or shaping young design minds, you can find her endeavouring to hike mountains in all 39 of Canada’s National Parks with her cute blind dog Oscar and husband Mike. She cut her teeth in graphic design working at the lululemon head office in Vancouver before emerging out of the cocoon into founding three creative agencies. For paper credentials, she studied Graphic Design at Parsons New York and Alberta College of Art and Design and have a BA in English from University of Calgary. Education aside, my formative design skills really come from the endless hours of notebook doodling and evenings spent with wine and a paintbrush.
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