For Gatsu Gatsu the inspiration came from the crazy, sometimes overwhelming experiences westerners are faced with when getting purposely lost in Asian countries. The overload of smells and sounds, styles, signage that are often as contradictory and strange as they are amazing. But since cities these days are filled with wok restaurants, it was key to be innovative. ‘Gatsu Gatsu’ is Japanese for eating very fast. More specific: when you're having a serious case of the munchies and you're up gobbling your food.
If it’s that tasty, you don't want to wait. This fast and expressive action can be seen in the movement of our logo, which is also inspired by old style Japanese brush calligraphy. The visual clash of signage and food advertising in the typical Asian alleys was our inspiration. We were blessed with a very narrow, deep and high location, which was the perfect canvas for creating an inside out Asian alley getaway within the center of Brussels (150M2). A kind of doorway into another culture. This coincidence also carved out the way for our identity which took reference from the weird and crazy visuals in Asia, as well as the contradictions and overload of information, even some tongue in cheek humor when it comes to sound in language.
We did however curate it by applying it all into a strict canvas of noodles, samurai red and traditional Asiatic blue. This allowed us to be playful in a subtle way, blending in the visual identity with the interior design. Winner of the 2019 Architizer A+ Award in the 'Architecture + Branding' category. Credits: - WeWantMore - Creative Director - Ruud Belmans - WeWantMore - Graphic Designer - Nicolas Sainderichin