‘Our Store’s Dedicated Designer’ is a collaborative project between the Amorepacific Empathy Foundation and the Creative Center,
aimed at revitalizing the Yongsan commercial district by improving the aging spaces of local small businesses.
The seventh project in this series was the renovation of ‘Yongsan Fish Restaurant,’ located on Hangang-daero. A volunteer team of university students majoring in spatial design participated in this renovation.
Working closely with the restaurant’s owner, the team focused on improving the most outdated elements, including the exterior facade, interior flooring, and wallpaper.
The goal was to create a familiar and welcoming space that would appeal to both
new customers in their 20s and 30s as well as the existing clientele of local office workers.
To achieve this, we embraced the concept of a ‘nopo’—a classic,
long-standing restaurant with a time-worn, authentic charm.
Without drastically altering the original atmosphere, we utilized retro-style
logos and typography to enhance the feeling of a beloved, hidden-gem eatery.
We enhanced the saturation of the main color for Yongsan Fish Restaurant,
blue, to give the brand a more vibrant and energetic image.
The symbol was designed in the dynamic shape of a fish, intuitively
representing the establishment’s identity as an omakase-style seafood restaurant.
