Chinese restaurant logos

12/29/2011

I have 2 restaurant logos for your first challenge! I downloaded the left one from a Google Image search (keyword: Chinese restaurant logo) and I took the a photo outside 'China Garden' in UK. Can you say something about these two logos?

16 Comments

Catherine link

1/8/2012 07:15:47 pm

The target customers of the restaurant logo on the left seem like foreigners. The logo is more colorful and attractive than the one on the right. It seems like it was designed by a professional. And it looks like it is a high-classed restaurant.
On the other hand, the right one looks like they serve mainly the local UK residents and not as professional as the left one. It has a single color and is rather dull making it less attractive as the left one.

Mark Yuen link

1/8/2012 11:42:51 pm

With a mere quick glance at the two pictures, we can deduce that the logos are made for different purposes.

The logo on the left is kind of ‘Westernized’. Companies like Starbucks and Pacific Coffee use logos of a similar structure. The Chinese food restaurant aims to internationalize their brand by making such a logo. In the logo, we can see the name of the restaurant ‘Panda Express’. In order to visualize the restaurant’s name, a picture of a panda is included in the logo to reinforce the brand image. Most people think pandas are cute and they could easily attract foreigners’ attention. It acts as kind of the ‘ambassador’ of the restaurant.

In my opinion, the target audience should be foreigners who have little or no previous knowledge of Chinese culture.

The logo on the right is poorly constructed.

However, the picture (with a boy delivering a noodle) which belongs to a Japanese instant food company ‘Nissin Foods’, is included in the logo. It is copyright infringement. Neglecting the fact of copyright infringement, there is a mismatch between the picture and the choice of words. As mentioned, the picture is from Japan but the restaurant sells Chinese food as indicated by the restaurant’s name ‘China Garden’. The picture cannot reinforce the brand name of the restaurant at all and could even confuse new customers about the type of food being served in the restaurant.

Furthermore, what is different from the left logo is that there are two simplified Chinese characters “中国” in the right logo. Chinese characters, indeed, are intended to be shown to Chinese people.

Though the right logo has poor representation, I think that the target audience could be Chinese citizens who live in a foreign country by looking at all the texts.

Unique TANG link

1/9/2012 03:49:07 am

I have also got some ideas about the two logos and would like to share here. I see the same point with what the classmates said in preceding comments that the logo on the left seems to be a better design, and it points to different target audience compared to the logo on the right.

On the left, the logo of “Panda Express” is well-designed and it carries several Chinese characteristics. First, the giant pandas are one of the most recognizable icons of China because they are famous rare animal species in China. Therefore, the panda in the logo, with a lovely and friendly image, as well as its distinctive representation of China, helps the restaurant promote Chinese food and create a good trademark. Second, red is a traditional colour in China and it symbolizes luck and prosperity. Therefore, the logo with such a colour can further represent Chinese culture.

The intended target audience of the logo on the left is most likely the local US residents because it promotes Chinese culture (i.e. featured cuisine) with the English words “Gourmet Chinese Food”.

As for the logo on the right with the restaurant name “China Garden”, it seems that the image mismatches with the text. The image shows that a boy who dresses in Japanese clothing is delivering a bowl of noodles. That image is very similar to the key icon of a well-known Japanese brand of instant noodles. It is a bit strange that the Japanese-featured icon and the text “China Garden” co-occur. Neither the Japanese boy nor the Japanese noodles is relevant to the Chinese restaurant.

The target audience of the logo on the right is most likely the Chinese people living in UK, or Chinese visitors travelling to UK. The reason is that the simplified Chinese characters “中国” is expected to be mainly known by Chinese people.

Jlos Ma

1/10/2012 02:30:29 pm

I agreed with the previous comments made by our classmates of the target audience and the reasons. I agree with the saying that the design of the left logo is generally better than the right one since its simpler, with simple font.

By merely looking at the images of the logos, I couldn’t associate panda with food unless I eat panda. The image on the right logo has a better presentation of food, it is more direct. However, the logo on the right has a wrong portrait of Chinese food as the image is originated from one of Japan’s instant noodle, attached with a picture http://ts2.mm.bing.net/images/thumbnail.aspx?q=1531987627641&id=d9290599ce878046968db27a84ccfa9d.

Joanne LUI

1/11/2012 10:01:09 pm

the logo on the left is much more professional than the right one.
because of the design & the use of color.
for the design, panda is a symbolic image to represent China.
also the use of red color is wise, coz ppl will immediately relate red to China.
For the right one, i cant see the image represent anything, i don't think it means " take away" , i just think it sells noodles. Plus, wts the function of the two chinese character" 中国”? it isnt a correct translate for "China Garden". The right logo makes me really confused.

Jenny Shum

1/14/2012 05:22:59 pm

From my point of view, China Express's logo is legal as there is a registered mark being printed on the very right hand corner.You can't even find any such a print on China Garden. That may indicate that the icon of China Garden is not legitimated.

Besides, I do agree that the China Express's logo is far more sophisicated than the China Garden. As we can see that, the panda and the words have a really good interaction. The fast food restaurant is selling Chinese food. Its motif includes a panda, the national treasure, in the middle. Plus, the use of red which usually represents luck, joy, positivity, prosperity and legitimacy in Chinese culture. In other words, the emblem links Chinese gourmet with chinese culture in a very good manner. The idea is original. However, the icon of China Garden seems lacking of sophisication , originality and a good arrangement. It just copied an icon from the Nissin Foods. Plus, it randomly put the two Chinese words in the logo. The use of black and white made the symbol very dull. It has to be refined. That's all. Thank you.

Jaye YIM

1/14/2012 05:35:24 pm

I got 2 ideas come to my mind when looking at the logos.

One is Panda Express is more likely to be a Chinese-owned company while China Garden is Westerner-owned. The reason is simple, in the logo of China Garden, an iconic figure of a Japanese instant noodles is used, which is pretty funny, because when you are promoting your restaurant as an authentic Chinese restaurant, how could you put a Japanese cartoon on your logo..? Especially for Chinese people, this is a mistake which would never be made. Therefore, the only explanation for that Japanese iconic figure being used is that the owner thought it was of Chinese, i.e. he is no Chinese nor Japanese. While it's much wiser for Panda Express to pick panda as its logo as we all know that pandas are the national treasure of China, it just would be wrong for selling Chinese food.

Another idea is Panda Express is probably owned by younger people, as the logo is designed with a cute image of panda in vivid colours; while China Garden's logo is in a more mono tone with the colour of dark brown and simple pattern of design, doesn't seem like what the young generation would like.

Ken Kong Kin To link

1/15/2012 04:25:09 am

Jaye, i agree with your point about the color use of both logos. I believe that a lot of emphasis should be put on when designing a Chinese restaurant logo, as it is the true identity of the food business, so it should be stylish and unique in order to standout among the others.

Joanna Tse link

1/14/2012 08:26:49 pm

I personally like the design of the logo on the left. Although the design is simple, the message represented is clear. The red color used is well known as a symbol of good luck for Chinese. Also, panda is the national emblem of China. Audiences can easily tell that that it is a Chinese restaurant from the logo. Furthermore, the logo is westernized and it can be used internationally. It can show that it is a professional Chinese restaurant.

The target audiences of the logo of Panda Express are likely to be people all over the world, including Chinese and foreigners.

Besides the word “中国” in the logo on the left, audiences can hardly tell that the restaurant is related to Chinese food. The color is dull and not attractive. Also, the figure used is from a Japanese instant noodle company. Obviously, the person in charge of the restaurant do not have enough knowledge about Chinese culture. How can the restaurant persuade customers that they can cook good traditional Chinese food if they are not familiar with it?

China Garden might be owned by a non-Chinese that it is set up in a foreign country for foreigners. I can guess that a Chinese or a foreigner with a little knowledge of Chinese culture will not go in this restaurant if he really wants to have delicious Chinese food.

Ken, Kong Kin To link

1/15/2012 04:16:34 am

Aside from the origin of the restaurants being discussed by my fellow classmates above, I would like to share my opinion on the logo design. It is doubtless that an elegantly designed logo will capture the interest of target audience and help building customers’ trust and reliance.

I appreciate the logo on the left side for its simplicity with a relevant image (panda as the symbol of China) being included when this can appeal Chinese cuisine lovers to the restaurant. Furthermore, the optimum red color is well chosen to enhance the logo appearance and make it more tempting for the customers, in other words, it is to induce even the intense feelings of hunger.

However, the logo on the right side makes it easier for the viewers to know what type of food the restaurant is offering although it is so ironic that the symbolic icon of a Japanese instant noodle company is used. Therefore, adding images of some special dishes in the logo enable customers to know the specialty of a specific restaurant.

Melissa link

1/15/2012 07:08:03 pm

It is important to engage with what the logos are aiming to achieve, and in this case they are both advertisement for food. What strikes me about the logo for 'Panda express' is the strong emphasis on the animal itself, with the image of the Panda as the primary focus. However, I feel in order for a logo to be successful, the consumers immediate reaction must engage with what the producer is trying to achieve. Thus, when considering this I feel the logo presents a poor representation of 'food' indeed it is far more concerned with the animal than the product it is trying to sell. My initial response was the logo's strong resemblance to the WWF (world wildlife fund)- and with the branding name of 'panda express' one cannot be certain they are selling food until we read the smaller print, 'gourmet Chinese food,' which in my opinion is the final thing that one reads. Therefore, if the customer's attention has not been drawn in instantly, one may dismiss the logo before reading the entire thing.

Until discussing the logos with my peers, I was not aware that the logo on the right was symbolic of Japanese culture and because of this I feel it is a poorly constructed logo, showing lack of awareness for Chinese culture, and indeed may be recognized as insulting. Despite this, the representation of food is made a lot more clearly, and the brand name ‘China Garden’ makes one aware that it is selling Chinese food. By using the Chinese lettering, ‘中国’ I get the impression they are trying to integrate culture, making their target audience Chinese people in a foreign country. Alternatively, the Chinese symbols may be used simply to aid the Chinese theme image, to further enhance the logo and make clear what it is trying to present.

Jenny Shum link

1/23/2012 04:33:23 pm

Melissa, you are thinking outside the box! That's a very nice practice. I love your idiomatic English as well. ^^

Jenny Shum link

1/23/2012 05:30:40 pm

With the reference of your idea that Panda Express's logo looks very alike with the logo of WWF. To certain extend, I agree with you after comparing the two icons. I thought the owners of Panda Express would like to be like WWF to contribute actively in community to help the needies as you can have a look on the company's development profile. In other words, somewhat the company includes its philosophy into its logo.

Christy Chan link

1/22/2012 10:44:56 pm

As some of you mentioned above, the panda express logo seems to be more professional than the china garden logo. I totally agree with that. When I first saw the panda express logo, I immediately recognize it. Since, it is quite a popular Chinese restaurant in US and therefore, the whole design appears to be very clear, simple and the message can be delivered to audience easily.

Whereas, the other logo appears to be less professional, but the message can also be delivered across to audience clearly. As the whole design emphasized on the use of Chinese style font and the actual Chinese characters. But it seems to me that the designer probably already has a stereotype on objects or items that represent China. Therefore, he/she just input any stereotype objects into the logo design.

Sandy Chu link

1/30/2012 02:19:05 am

The logo on the left is positively designed with a panda which is one of the endangered species in China. Red colour is used in the logo and I believe it is related to Chinese culture. Red colour mostly means good things in Chinese society, however, red colour is imagined with devil or Satan in western societies. From the logo, we can find that the audience’s reception is expected panda is typical and representable for China. Even though some of my fellow classmates mentioned the logo might be similar to the logo of WWF, it is not a big problem that people will find confused with.

The logo on the right is poorly constructed and fails to convince Chinese people to believe it’s a CHINA GARDEN but should be successful to make the foreigners believe. The main reason is that the Nissin boy, which represents a well-known Japanese instant noodle brand, cannot represent China, even though “CHINA GARDEN” and “中国” are written. From this logo, we can see the perspective of China in westerners’ eyes. Asians look similar to them and they may believe we are all almost the same in different areas, such as clothing, hair style, food flavours etc.. The world “中国”may be used to attract Chinese people or to increase the feel of “Chinese” since many westerners love “Chinese” characters, even though they don’t’ understand.

Natalie Yu

2/25/2012 11:12:31 pm

The logo on the left is recognizable, eye-catching and more modern compare to the one on the left. Besides the fact that the one on the left has used sharp colours, the font and the image of panda are also more attractive if I am taking a consumer's point of view. (as a local).

However, the logo on the left should be comparatively recognizable and attracted to foreigners (though the image and the use of font is not THAT attractive to most people, yet they are extremely popular!) The popularity of this type of logos can be seen in almost every Chinese take away shops in foreign countries, especially with the Chinese characters (enhance the sense of typical Chinese maybe?). The lower quality of the logo on the right could be due to the fact that they have less money to hire a professional designer to design a logo for their particular shop (their consumers may not even care about the logo but food!).

On the other hand, the logo on the left are attracted to people living in modern cities, perhaps younger targets as well.

In my opinion, I like both of them. Well, depends where I see these logos really. While I am in Hong Kong, the logo on the left would definitely be more attractive to me, yet the logo on the right is just so classical that something would be seen in foreign countries and it just seems to be a 'home' sign for me. (and I would know where to get home food just by seeing the logo!)

Chinese restaurant logos

Leave a Reply.

Author

Archives

Categories