KpopKafe
Branding, Packaging, and Exhibition
Design touches every aspect of the intricate genre of Korean Pop music. Every element comes together to formulate a group’s brand. This branding can help draw in people’s interest in the genre and groups themselves. Groups present a new, expertly branded experience with each comeback (release), which keeps fans interested and coming back. Combining prominent elements from the genre and its groups, KpopKafe presents a welcoming, immersive cafe experience for fans and non-fans alike.
Think
Commonly, fans in Korea and Japan will host events to celebrate music groups or their members. These events are often hosted for anniversaries, birthdays, or comebacks. For my exhibition, I wanted to create a cafe in a similar style for people to celebrate and enjoy Kpop together.
Design
Every element of the branding was pulled from my personal experiences with the genre. For example, menu items were named in relation to popular artists, groups, and songs. From this, a full brand identity, physical and digital mockups, and an exhibition display were created. Cafe packaging, menus, and associated materials expanded the branding to provide an experience for fans to enjoy and remember.
Make
Taking inspiration from the genre and its fans, a community experience was created for fans to revisit time and again. An example being the logo, a finger heart, which is a well-known symbol in the Kpop fan community. Much like in Kpop albums, photo-cards featuring group members from popular groups created an element of collectability, further drawing from the genre and how it uses design to draw in and keep fans coming back.
Display
The aim of the final display was to emulate a cafe atmosphere in the propping and layout while being aware of limitations. A main staple of popular, “instagramable” cafes is a photo wall. To simulate this trend a photo wall was created with a laser-cut sign of the logo and other elements that had been used throughout the other collateral. This, along with the Kpop music videos playing, created an experience for viewers to look at and participate with.
