Project
BaseHall
Bringing a world of food discovery to Hong Kong
“Otherway have been integral in bringing BASEHALL to life. They fully embraced our vision for the brand and explored it in ways beyond what we had ever imagined. Everything they produce is creative, playful and original.”
Brand Director
HongKong Land
HongKong Land
Services
Strategy
Branding
Illustration
Digital Design
We partnered with Hongkong Land and BaseHall to create an East Asian food hall concept like no other.
Our ambition was to make BaseHall unmissable and unforgettable through a creative, community platform for authentic talent. Starting with food, but capable of going much broader into a full experiential events hub of culture.
Together, we created a brand system that is agile and adaptable - able to stand up on the global stage whilst taking pride in the rich heritage of Hong Kong.
A hidden underworld of delicious discovery.
A big part of the need for a brilliant, stand-out brand, had to do with the location of BaseHall.
Normally, when people talk about exciting food in Hong Kong, they’d most likely be thinking Soho. Not the basement of Jardine House - one of the city’s most famous office towers in the heart of corporate Central.
So, we needed to create a brand that would punch above its weight and stand out. Something that would push against the expected experience of Central and tempt them down the rabbit hole to a completely new kind of destination, in a part of town they’d normally never venture to for food.
The boldness of the BaseHall branding is designed to work hard to convince people BaseHall is something new and different enough to warrant that abnormal trip.
Fill your face with greatness.
Given the incredible range of food on offer at BaseHall - from a 60 year old roast goose shop, to brand new Michelin starred experiences, it was important that we created a brand that would not only stand out, but also quickly earn credibility in the food and drink world.
The brand personality was therefore built around a duality of ‘Playful food lover’ meets ‘Passionate food expert’ - allowing us to balance a fun-loving, messy and even cheeky tone, with expert knowledge and authentic storytelling.
BaseHall’s world is inspired by the visual wealth that Hong Kong provides. From the signage to the tactility of the photography, every instance has been designed with a care and attention to detail that pays homage to the rich and vibrant culture of the city.
A world of temptation.
Initially inspired by the traditional lightbox signage of Hong Kong, the design language is built on a grid system which visualises all the layers coming together to create a tapestry.
This tapestry is made up of a combination of bold, statement typography and rich, illustrated worlds.
We created a brand new typeface unique to BaseHall which hints at the distinctive circular windows of BaseHall’s original home - Jardine House. Symbolic of the discovery within, these porthole style windows represent BaseHall’s ambition to transport diners to new worlds through delicious dining experiences.
We then commissioned a series of East Asian illustrators to bring all the different restaurants to life. Given the importance of authentic storytelling, we wanted to create an area where every vendor had an equal chance of standing out. So, every vendor got their own identity which linked into a signature dish, or even a story about the owners themselves.
Having applied the identity to a range of applications, from physical signage to animated online formats, and with a bold, distinctive tone of voice, BaseHall is now spilling out around Hong Kong, tempting a whole new crowd of diners down into their exciting world of food and drink discovery.
