The Wild Plum Tea Room (est. 1984) is "a unique Gatlinburg lunch dining experience tucked away in the Smoky Mountains of Tennessee" built on local ingredients and local recipes passed down from generation to generation. I rebranded this restaurant for a school project because I wanted the challenge of maintaining the traditional, established energy of the old logo through a new, modern lense.

I did this by illustrating linocut-style wild plum blossom, with a simple color palette of white and two rich plum colors. I placed those blossoms on a stylized tea cup ring, which replaced the traditional "circle" frame, and used a monoline script to maintain modern elegance. The final product was a logo and brand collateral that embodied the personal touch and southern charm of Wild Plum and also paid homage to the Austrian tea houses that it was inspired by.

One of my favorite touches is the business card design which I created to mimic tea bags by utilizing two layers of material, one vellum paper with printed information and one colored card stock, attached with mini metal brads. Perhaps to complex for practical design looking back, but a concept that I’m glad I had the opportunity to test out and play with materials.