Amitabul Restaurant

BRANDING

A brand identity redesign for Amitabul, a spiritual vegan restaurant, uniting Eastern symbolism, steakhouse boldness, and handmade integrity into a cohesive visual system.

CLIENT
Amitabul

INDUSTRY
Restaurant

STUDENT WORK

SCOPE
Branding

Project Overview

Amitabul is a spiritual vegan restaurant founded by Bill, whose background spans both steakhouse kitchens and Buddhist temple cooking. The restaurant reflects this unlikely intersection — bold yet contemplative, hearty yet plant-based — rooted in integrity, responsibility, and handmade, slow food practices.

This project explored a full identity rebrand to bring consistency, clarity, and symbolic depth to the Amitabul experience.

The Challenge

Through research into Amitabul’s history and ethos, I defined the brand’s core values as:

  • Integrity

  • Responsibility

  • Slow, intentional food

  • Spiritual nourishment

  • Healthy vegan cuisine

However, the visual identity lacked cohesion. The storefront used one logo, while the menu and website used another. There was no unified visual language tying the brand together.

The goal was to create an identity that:

  • Honored its Eastern spiritual roots

  • Reflected the boldness of Bill’s steakhouse background

  • Felt grounded and handmade

  • Brought visual consistency across all touchpoints

Research & Concept Development

While exploring visual narrative directions, I studied several culturally relevant symbols connected to Korean heritage and Buddhist tradition:

  • The structured line work of the Korean flag

  • The Danch’eong flower symbolizing enlightenment

  • The Buddhist swastika as a symbol of universal energy and power

  • The Taegeuk representing balance and equality

These symbols reflected both Bill’s background and the spiritual philosophy embedded in the restaurant’s food.

Rather than using them literally, I simplified and abstracted their forms into a refined visual language — distilling meaning without overwhelming the brand.

Iteration & Visual Language

The early design phase involved extensive hand-drawn explorations. I tested how to combine:

  • The honor and structure of temple symbolism

  • The boldness and presence of a steakhouse

  • The clarity and simplicity expected in modern vegan branding

Through iteration, I developed:

  • A primary logo balancing strength and reverence

  • A tertiary mark for flexible brand applications

  • A system of shapes and line work derived from the symbolic research

The identity began to unify around a visual rhythm that felt both grounded and elevated.

Conceptual Anchor: Dr. K’s Cure-All Soup

Amitabul’s most popular dish is Dr. K’s Cure-All Soup, a dish that reflects the restaurant’s deeper philosophy: that food can nourish not only the body, but the spirit.

The restaurant’s guiding belief is that eating intentionally supports spiritual growth — that food can be a vehicle for enlightenment.

I explored combining:

  • The symbolism of enlightenment

  • The circular, communal form of a bowl of soup

  • The idea of nourishment as spiritual medicine

The final mark embodies both the iconic soup and the concept of food as a path toward balance and awakening.

Solution

The rebrand extended across multiple applications to create a cohesive system:

Visual Identity

  • Primary and tertiary logo marks

  • Simplified symbolic forms integrated into a unified visual language

Environmental Concepting

Proposed updates to the physical restaurant space to better align with the refined identity.

Website Redesign

A new website concept featuring Dr. K’s Cure-All Soup as a fullscreen hero image — positioning the dish as both product and philosophy.

Menu Redesign

Menus were restructured to highlight popular dishes using the new branding system and consistent typography.

Packaging Design

I created packaging concepts for Amitabul’s well-loved fermented sauces — products customers frequently request to purchase — expanding the brand into retail-ready goods.