hey hôn — behind the work

My Process

Building a brand identity for a neighborhood bakery meant creating something that felt authentic, warm, and accessible. This is how I approached the challenge of capturing the essence of hey hôn.

01 — Research & Discovery

I started by researching other bakeries in the area and throughout Portland. With my background in baking and the relationship I have with the owner, I was able to create a brand identity that truly stood out from the competition.

02 — Inspiration & References

The owners' home architecture and their cultural heritage became central to the visual direction. I gathered inspiration from Japanese aesthetic and leaned into the Wabi-Sabi. I wanted it to feel organic and reflective of the personality the owner has. Nothing is too precious, especially not baked goods.

hey hôn inspiration board with cake designs and floral elements from Lady Grey and Cascadia Kitchen

hey hôn behind the scenes design work and branding applications

03 — Sketches & Ideation

The brandmark started as sketches exploring geometric house forms. I wanted to create something simple enough to work at small sizes on packaging and signage, but distinctive enough to stand alone. The curved roofline became a signature element, and the hexagon window was inspired by the cultural heritage of the owners' background.

hey hôn sketch 02 explorations of typography and geometric brandmark variations

hey hôn sketch 03 refined explorations of the hexagonal mark with roofline

hey hôn sketch 04 digital logomark explorations with house and roofline forms

hey hôn sketch 05 handwritten birthday card personal inspiration

hey hôn sketch 06 handwritten Enjoy! typography exploration

04 — Color Palette

The color palette is drawn from the owner's farmhouse. The gold accent color reflects the honeycomb aspect of the bakery. The client wants to start a small beekeeping operation, so it was a fun way to incorporate that into her brand.

hey hôn color palette system with primary, secondary, and additional colors

05 — Typography

The brand uses Poppins Variable as the primary typeface which is a modern, geometric sans-serif that feels contemporary yet approachable. All typography is set in lowercase, reinforcing the casual, friendly nature of the brand.

hey hôn typography guide for Poppins variable font with character set and weights

06 — Applications & Iterations

I mostly focused on packaging for hey hôn The bakery is going to have a small footprint, with a very Banksy approach of IYKYK. So, no digital presence.

hey hôn bread packaging with clear plastic bag and branded label

hey hôn product box packaging with minimalist branding

07 — Reflection

Creating the hey hôn identity was a really rewarding project for me. I'm especially proud of the timeframe in which I developed it, and the final outcome was very well received by my friend and client.

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