From Concept to Culinary Destination – Crafting the Ichibuns Brand

ICHIBUNS

Brand Experience / Brand Identity / Guidelines / Packaging

Step inside Ichibuns and you will be hit with a kaleidoscope of neon, the pulse of Japanese city pop, and the scent of perfectly grilled Wagyu. This wasn’t just another restaurant – it was a high-energy collision of Japanese tradition, international street food, and cultural nostalgia wrapped in an experience as bold as its flavours. But to succeed in London’s fiercely competitive dining scene, Ichibuns needed a brand that could match its electricity.

Spinach Branding was approached by renowned restaurateur Robin Leigh and celebrated interior designer Noriyoshi Muramatsu to develop a high-impact brand. The challenge was clear:

Create a brand that could stand out in London’s fiercely competitive restaurant scene.
Develop a distinct visual and verbal identity that reflected Ichibuns’ dynamic fusion of influences.
Establish a flexible, immersive brand system that would work across interiors, packaging, digital and beyond.

Brand Discovery

Finding the Soul of Ichibuns

A successful restaurant brand needs to be a complete sensory and emotional experience. To define Ichibuns’ brand essence, we carried out an in-depth discovery process, uncovering key insights that would shape the identity.

Key Market & Consumer Insights

London’s restaurant market demands impact – With over 19,000 restaurants, a new entrant must launch with confidence, a strong narrative, and instant recognition – or risk being overlooked.

Experience-driven dining is the future

78% of Gen Z and Millennials say that atmosphere is as important as food when choosing a restaurant. Ichibuns needed to feel authentic yet disruptive. Inspired by Japan’s Shōwa-era aesthetic, Tokyo’s high-energy food scene, and pop culture from the 1970s to today, the brand had to be rooted in Japanese culture yet fresh and unpredictable.

Flexibility was key

Ichibuns was not a traditional Japanese restaurant – it was a new category: the Japanese Super Diner. The branding needed to reflect this hybrid personality – bold, playful, immersive and constantly evolving.

These insights guided every decision, ensuring the brand was not only visually compelling but strategically sound.

Our Approach

A Multi-Layered Brand Identity

Working closely with Robin Leigh’s team and Tokyo-based Studio Glitt, we created an identity system that was modular, adaptable and highly expressive – a true visual and sensory experience.

Defining the Brand Strategy & Narrative

We positioned Ichibuns as a cultural and culinary mash-up, bridging Japanese tradition with Western counterculture. The brand narrative was built on three key elements:

A Place: Hokkaido, Japan’s northern island, known for its rich culinary heritage and diverse flavours.
A Time: The Shōwa era, a period of cultural transformation, vibrant design, and the birth of modern Japan.
A Revolution: A celebration of pop art, street culture, and retro-futurism, creating an atmosphere that was playful, immersive and unforgettable.

Crafting a Visually Iconic Brand Identity

The Ichibuns brand identity was designed to be as eclectic and immersive as the restaurant itself. We created a multi-layered, mix-and-match system that could be dialled up or down depending on the touchpoint.

Key Visual Elements:

Brand Mark & Logotype: A fusion of vintage Japanese typography and contemporary design cues.
Typography & “Boltography”: A custom-built typographic system inspired by Japanese street signage, reflecting Tokyo’s backstreets. Manga and 1970s graphic novelsinfuse the brand with pop-cultural nostalgia. Retro-American diner aesthetics, subtly nodding to the “super diner” experience.
Colour Palette: A bold, high-contrast palette reflecting Tokyo’s neon-lit streets and pop-art influences.
Illustration & Graphic Language: A combination of psychedelic pop-art motifs, vintage posters and kawaii culture references, creating a visually chaotic yet curated experience.

Verbal Identity & Messaging

A bold visual identity needed an equally distinctive voice. We developed a playful, high-energy tone of voice that balances humour, irreverence and cultural authenticity.

Messaging Framework: Headlines and copy were crafted to be fun, engaging and slightly subversive.
Tagline & Brand Storytelling: Communicating the ‘Japanese Super Diner’ concept, positioning Ichibuns as a cultural and culinary adventure.
Social & Digital Copy: Extending the brand personality across platforms, ensuring every touchpoint felt consistent and engaging.

Execution

Bringing the Brand to Life

Ichibuns was never meant to be a restaurant brand that sat quietly in the background. Instead, we created a brand that could shape its surroundings – from interior design to digital experiences.

Interior & Environmental Branding
Seamless integration of branding with Muramatsu’s interior vision.
Immersive visual storytelling through murals, signage, and in-store activations.
Brand layering across uniforms, furniture, and even tray liners, ensuring every detail reinforced the identity.

Packaging & Print Materials
Bespoke packaging that extended the brand’s eclectic, collectable feel.
Menus designed as artefacts, blending Shōwa-era nostalgia with modern-day relevance.
Branded collateral, including staff uniforms, takeaway packaging, and in-store materials.

Digital & Website Experience
Bringing Ichibuns online was a natural extension of the brand – an opportunity to deepen engagement beyond the physical restaurant.
A highly immersive, animated website that reflected the brand’s energy.
Social media content extended the brand narrative, making Ichibuns as vibrant online as it was in real life.
E-commerce integration for branded merchandise, adding another revenue stream to the business.

The Outcome

A Standout Restaurant Brand That Left a Mark

When Ichibuns opened in London’s Soho in 2017, it made an immediate impact.

Critics and diners alike embraced the bold, chaotic and immersive experience. The brand became an instant conversation starter, standing apart from London’s sea of predictable restaurant launches. The Ichibuns brand book played a key role in securing prime locations and investment, ensuring its success as a scalable concept.

Key Success Metrics:

Widespread critical acclaim & media coverage.
High customer engagement across digital and in-store experiences.
A strong brand identity that stood out in London’s hyper-competitive dining scene.
A launch that solidified Ichibuns as more than a restaurant—it was a brand experience.

Conclusion

Redefining Hospitality Branding

Great restaurants don’t just serve food – they create worlds. Ichibuns is proof that when branding, interior design and storytelling come together seamlessly, the result is more than a restaurant. It’s an experience diners crave.

At Spinach Branding, we don’t just build brands. We design destinations, crafting experiences that draw people in, keep them coming back, and make a lasting impact. In the world of hospitality, the most successful brands don’t just open their doors: they create movements.