Client: ODM
Photographer: Owen Kaufman

Basan’s identity is expressed in its three brand pillars: Dutiful, Humming, Candid. The restaurant’s mission is to pay respect to the people of Detroit with quality food and drink, served with skill and detail. The atmosphere translates Japan’s thrumming after-hours scene to Detroit’s tastes. Robatayaki is honest food for hardworking people, as much a matter of technique as ingredients. The best seats in the house are along the chef’s counter, where food is prepared right in front of the customers.

Every texture, tangible, and art piece is an expression of these values. KTGY’s conversations became not just a name and logo — which, after collaborative sessions with the client, became the playful firebird — but brand guidelines that defined the distinct typeface, staff uniforms, different logos for every use; color, material and patterns that will carry the brand into the future. Customers can hold the menus and matchbooks, they will notice the uniforms and logos, but what creates moments of lasting impact is a roots-deep commitment to the concepts and identity that were defined long before the first yakitori came off the grill.