Expanding a Family of Restaurants
Location:
Convoy Street, San Diego CA
Role:
Branding, Visual Design, Marketing, Social Media
Timeline:
Jan 2024 - Aug 2024
Deliverables:
Logos, Menus, Interior Design Moodboards, Social
Media Strategies
As Marketing Manager for SD Backyard, I partnered with the owner to shape the brand identities of five Convoy restaurants, leading all creative efforts from logos and menus to social media and marketing campaigns. Alongside Yun Tea House, I helped bring Bok Bok Dok, Viet Nom, and Oi Shiba to life—developing unique branding, menu designs, and digital presence while ensuring each concept stayed aligned with the group’s larger identity.
The Challenge:
SD Backyard was opening multiple restaurants quickly and each needed a distinct identity while still fitting into the family of brands. I would usually have only a week or two before the restaurants' respective soft openings to create:
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Finalized logos (using Illustrator)
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Branded Menus (with food photoshoots)
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Social Media Accounts (to contact local food influencers/blogs to attend the opening)
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Marketing Assets (flyers, banners, digital content)
The Process:
Bok Bok Dok: Korean Fried Chicken
For Bok Bok Dok, I created a bold, playful brand identity inspired by the energy of Korean nightlife. I designed a mascot chicken paired with a quirky yet minimal typeface, bringing personality to the logo.
I also developed two menu designs: one minimal and photography-focused, and another with a colorful, comic-inspired style that emphasized the restaurant’s lively interior. Beyond print, I launched the restaurant’s Instagram with a fun, trendy voice and collaborated with local food influencers, generating over 493,000 views across reels and driving new customers to the restaurant.
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Viet Nom & Pho Nom: Vietnamese Cuisine
For Viet Nom, a modern take on Vietnamese classics, I designed a logo that paired a rice paddy hat motif with a bowl of pho, giving the brand a fresh yet familiar identity. To keep consistency with SD Backyard’s playful style, I introduced a mascot character, which carried over into Pho Nom, their second location, where I adapted the design into a water buffalo—a nod to Vietnamese culture.
I selected a jewel-toned color palette inspired by the restaurant’s lantern-filled décor, and brought the brand to life through food photography and content for Viet Nom’s Instagram. For Pho Nom, I contributed the logo and typeface before departing from the company, ensuring continuity across both locations
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Oi Shiba: Japanese Cuisine
For Oi Shiba, a Japanese-inspired ramen concept, I designed a playful logo featuring a Shiba Inu mascot. To complement the branding, I created promotional assets that blended vintage Japanese poster aesthetics with modern anime-inspired motifs.
I designed coupon flyers to boost cross-traffic from SD Backyard’s other restaurants and launched the Instagram account with a friendly, casual voice that reflected the restaurant’s beachside location and approachable vibe.
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The Outcome & Impact
Through these projects, I helped launch four distinct restaurant concepts across San Diego, including Convoy, Point Loma, Pacific Beach, and La Jolla. Each restaurant received a cohesive brand identity across logos, menus, photography, and social media. My designs gave every location a unique personality while maintaining a sense of connection within the SD Backyard family.
On social media, I established new accounts from the ground up, creating engaging content that quickly attracted local attention. For example, influencer collaborations at Bok Bok Dok alone generated nearly 500,000 views, boosting both foot traffic and brand awareness.
Overall, my work supported the successful openings of multiple restaurants across San Diego, helping SD Backyard grow its presence and reputation as a recognizable and trusted name in the local dining scene.