Overview
TO:ME started as a dream my girlfriend has carried for years — a café rooted in her love of matcha, her background in the food industry, and her belief that a great drink is never just a drink. It's a moment. A reason to pause. A way to feel seen.
My role was to take that feeling and build it into a brand. Everything from the logo to the Instagram grid to the pop-up experience — designed from scratch, with intention, and with her vision at the center of every decision.
The Brief
There was no brief. There was a person with a dream, deep industry knowledge, and a clear sense of what she wanted people to feel. My job was to translate that into something visual, consistent, and alive.
The foundation was already there in her values: thoughtful hospitality, community support, mindful nourishment, and legacy with love — a brand inspired by family, and specifically by a grandmother's quiet gestures of care. That last one shaped everything. This wasn't a café concept built around a trend or a market gap. It was built around something passed down.
The question I kept coming back to: what makes TO:ME different? Not compared to competitors — but compared to the general experience of sharing a moment with someone.
Brand Identity
The name carries the entire philosophy. TO:ME is a gentle invitation — a pause between "to" and "me" that asks you to slow down, reflect, and receive something made with care. The logotype is warm and grounded, evoking handwritten notes and moments of stillness. Clean and minimal by design, it's subtle but steady — like a friend who's always there when you need them
The color system is where the identity comes alive. Rather than abstract names, every color in the palette is named after a flavor — Matcha, Taro, Yuzu, Hojicha, Sesame, Lychee, Chai. Rooted in Asian flavors and inspired by Japanese food culture, the palette is calm, earthy, and intentional. Each color evokes both taste and tone, adding depth beyond the visual. Accents are used sparingly — one at a time, like a thoughtful garnish — always reinforcing warmth, tradition, and quiet expression.
The full system — logo, color, typography, and layout language — was built to scale without losing its shape. Consistent enough to be recognizable on a cup, a poster, or a pop-up banner. Flexible enough to grow into a permanent space without ever feeling like it outgrew itself.
Content & Storytelling
The social presence was built as an extension of the brand, not a broadcast channel. Every post was an opportunity to deepen the story — seasonal drinks framed as small rituals, community moments treated with the same care as product shots, and a visual rhythm that made the grid feel like a place you'd want to spend time.
Working closely together, my girlfriend brought the product knowledge, the warmth, and the soul — I brought the visual framework to hold it all. The content we built together reflects both: informed by craft, driven by feeling.
Pop-Up Experience
Translating a brand from screen to physical space is where a lot of identities fall apart. For TO:ME, the pop-up wasn't just a sales moment — it was the brand's first handshake with the community. I led the creative direction across 4+ pop-up events, working with a team of 3–4 to bring the visual identity into the real world through signage, packaging, layout, and atmosphere.
The goal was consistency and warmth in equal measure — a setup that felt considered and intentional, but never cold. Somewhere you'd stop, stay a little longer than you planned, and tell someone about later.
Where it's going
TO:ME is still growing. The pop-ups have built a real community and a following that's engaged because the brand earned it — not through volume, but through consistency and care. A permanent location is the
next chapter.
This project is personal in every sense. It's a reminder that the design skills I bring to large-scale product work translate directly to building something meaningful from nothing — and that the best brands, at any scale, are the ones that know exactly who they are.
Takeaway
Most of my work lives inside large platforms with existing systems, established audiences, and defined constraints. TO:ME is the opposite — a blank canvas, a real stake, and someone I love counting on the work to be right.
That combination — creative freedom and genuine accountability — has made me a sharper designer in every context I work in.
ROLE
CREATIVE DIRECTOR
TOOLS
FIGMA
ADOBE CREATIVE CLOUD
AI TOOLS