For this final project of “Digital Applications of Art Movements”, the goal was to create a create a promotional package for a fictional business. I chose to invent a Chinese food takeaway business mainly because China is in my blood, having lived there for 11 years. I called it “Noodle Republic”.
This promotional package had to include a logo, a business card, a t-shirt as well as another article (in my case, a brown paper bag) and a poster. However, I felt that a menu would be a more relevant and more useful resource than a poster.
I had to draw inspiration from one of the artistic movement discussed during the course while making it suited to the brand and make it appealing to its target audience. The propaganda imagery of the Chinese socialist realism, which was usually printed with carved woodblock using red and black inks, fit the brand image the best and makes it feel current at the same time.
I knew from the start where I wanted to take the design, given the hours that I spent roaming the streets and markets of Shanghai, Beijing and Hong Kong. Nevertheless, I spent quite some time researching the best examples of the woodblock printed Socialist realist posters and leaflets from China.
I came up with strong images of uneven black lines, vibrant reds and yellowed white (due to the paper used). The most predominant common denominator was the use of sun rays encircling the focal point of the image – in most cases, Chairman Mao Zedong. Keeping the bold red rays, I chose to replace him with the logo of the brand: a bowl of noodles designed with the uneven lines created from the carved wood blocks. I placed the bowl on a bright red flag seemingly floating in the air, carried by a Party member the way it is often seen on Socialist-realist propaganda posters
For the menu, I found a gorgeous print of Party members marching together and used it to complete the Socialist realist feel of the design, the red sun rays and blocky “Chinese Rock” font. While listening to Shanghai Lounge Divas and sipping a gorgeous Oolong tea brought back with me from my Asian home, I took a trip down memory lane as I pulled most of the food items from the menu of my favorite restaurant in the China Club in Hong Kong.
All in all, this was a project that was very close to my heart and I am really happy with the journey as well as the result.
