CELEBRATING CITRUS

POMELO JUICE & PASTRY

December 2023
School: Tyler School of Art and Architecture
Photography: Unsplash + Personal
Instructor: Nathan Young

References:

Cut Fruit Collective
Designed by Daphne Wu

Pomelo is a speculative restaurant focused on highlighting a variety of fresh citrus, serving juice and pastry items.

Sharing fruit can be an expression of love and gratitude for those closest to us as well as an invitation to conversation. Inspired by the pomelo fruit itself, the restaurant emphasizes the significance of sharing a bowl of fresh fruit with friends and family.

The pomelo, from the family Rutaceae, is the largest citrus fruit, and the principal ancestor of the grapefruit. It is a natural, non-hybrid, citrus fruit. Pomelos are native to southeast Asia. They grow in southern China, Thailand, India, Japan, Taiwan, Malaysia, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, Tahiti, and other tropical regions worldwide.
Grapefruit is a cross between pomelo and sweet orange. There are several different varieties of pomelos, and they all vary slightly in flavor. But most have a taste similar to that of a grapefruit, with an intense tartness, sharp acidity, and a prevailing sweetness. But unlike grapefruit, pomelos are milder in flavor and less bitter.
I designed a logomark that replicated the inner layer of a citrus fruit to match the brand of the restaurant, which is focused on featuring fresh fruit. For the logotype, I chose a monolinear rounded sans typeface called BC Alphapipe to represent the brand’s fluidity and sinuous nature.
I curated the color palette with inspiration from other vibrant brand identities I came across in my research, which consisted of bright greens, oranges, yellows, and pinks. The colors I chose are representative of a variety of citrus fruits. For example, the pink symbolizes grapefruit.
I created various animated advertisements using pops of color and the geometric nature of the logo. I also was inspired by the movement of juice drops, which I replicated using the falling circle against the orange backdrop. Each of these animations represent the featured citrus.
I also designed advertisements using photographed textures of citrus. I utilized negative space and the logomark to create dimensionality. I photographed the outer texture of a pomelo to create the final product.
The logomark can reflect multiple meanings. In one design, the secondary logomark is meant to represent movement and pouring drops of juice, while for another, the primary logomark symbolizes freshly cut slices of citrus.
I created a variety of promotional designs to reflect the range of citrus flavors and fresh fruit offered at the estaurant. These poster concepts were designed for use in public spaces, including being printed out and posted around the city.
In Chinese culture, eating fresh fruit symbolizes a new life beginning, and eating sweet fruit is a wish for a sweet year ahead. Fruit is also a common gift during the harvest festival, the Lunar New Year, the Spring Festival, Chinese New Year and wedding events.
Pomelo fruit is a symbol of prosperity and good luck, and the citrus is frequently presented as a gift in temples during Chinese New Year. Pomelo and other citrus will be eaten during the second day of the Chinese New Year, a practice observed in accordance with a Chinese emperor tradition, where during this special day the king would present this type of fruit to his officers.
Nowadays, pomelo is often used in cooking when it is in season, right before new year, since pomelo is also believed to bring good luck to the household. Chinese homes are commonly decorated with a pair of pomelos. It is believed pairs of pomelos are synonym of family unity and also mean all good things come in twos.
I designed a vertical menu layout which can be viewed in restaurant as a stand-up menu as customers enter, paper takeaway or online. The menu would change daily depending on the season and available citrus and fresh fruit offered that day.
I utilized the bright color combinations for the juice and pastry packaging. Each color combination is meant to represent the flavors and fresh fruit that went into making the item.
Because of its round shape and its sweet taste, the pomelo is one of the primary festive foods of the mid-autumn moon festival
Harvested during the Mid-Autumn Festival, this huge citrus fruit is usually eaten with mooncakes and other delicacies and is considered to be one of the Moon Goddess’ favorite fruit. With a sweet and sour taste like a mild sweet grapefruit, the pomelo is also used as a garnish while its skin is used as an ingredient in some varieties of Southern Chinese cooking.
When the full moon rises on Mid-Autumn Festival night, some of the more traditional Chinese families are known to place mooncakes, peanuts, and pomelos on the altar and offer it to the moon goddess.
In the Meizhou province, the pomelo is an essential festive food, that is consumed in different varieties including golden pomelo (Shatian pomelo), honey pomelo or Shuijing pomelo.
I created a pattern using the responsive logo that I designed. The repetition of the pattern is reminiscent of a polka dot pattern. There are many different color variations of this pattern, which can easily adapt to multiple layouts and surfaces, including wallpaper.
I designed the website with the brand’s geometry in mind. I utilized scale and basic circular shapes to create an engaging digital experience for the user. I included many pops of color as well.
I created a variety of collateral items that would be available for purchase in-store, including citrus flavored lip balm, water bottles, coasters, vitamins, stickers, enamel pins, matches, and buttons.
The design process for this brand concept and identity was heavily influenced by other contemporary designers. The Pomelo brand design was inspired by other juicery projects during my research on Behance including Lokal Press Juicery by Lirey Blanco, Redapple Juice Bar by Wahab Khan, KALEI by Laezza Studio, Nordic Juice by Vitor Prado, and La Juguería by Anto Alvez. I was also inspired by the mission and website design of Cut Fruit Collective, a grassroots community arts non-profit cofounded by Daphne Wu.
If this restaurant were to become a reality, I would highlight local Philadelphia artists and small businesses. I would also offer a discount to student and senior customers, as well as implement a rewards system for returning customers.
As of 2019, 14.4% of Philadelphians experience food insecurity. For Philadelphia’s children, the rate is even higher: almost 1 in 4 children lack access to enough food for an active and healthy lifestyle. Low-income, Hispanic, and non-Hispanic Black Philadelphians experience disproportionately high rates of food insecurity as a result of socioeconomic disadvantage and neighborhood conditions that limit access to healthy foods.
I designed this restaurant in part to call attention to food apartheid in the United States and the lack of access to fresh food in at an affordable price. As of right now, North Philadelphia is currently considered a food desert, with Fresh Grocer being the first grocery store in the area due to the development of Temple University. With an emphasis on the importance of sharing fresh fruit with one another as means of preserving culture and health, this case study highlights the need for food access and grocery stores in the inner city, specifically in the city of Philadelphia.
I would invest in community projects, sponsoring local events, or supporting initiatives that aim to improve education, healthcare, and infrastructure to foster stronger community ties and create a more vibrant and resilient environment. Supporting community-led initiatives such as farmers’ markets, community gardens, and co-ops can help provide fresh produce and empower residents to take charge of their food sources.
Implementing more policies that incentivize grocery stores to establish themselves in North Philadelphia can significantly improve access to healthy foods. I would also offer nutrition education and cooking classes to the community to empower residents to make healthier choices with the resources available to them.
Establishing long-term goals and commitments towards community development ensures sustained equity and creates a lasting positive impact.