Yu–Mei’s Uptown China

Graphic Design | WEB design

Yu–Mei’s Uptown China is a restaurant in Seattle Washington. In the 30+ years of operation in Uptown (Lower Queen Anne) Seattle it had become a local favorite. I was asked to recreate the tabletop drink menu in 2017. I quickly brought the brand’s cohesion back together, inside and out.

POINTS OF CONSIDERATION

COMPETITIVE ANALYSIS
DEMOGRAPHIC
APPLICATIONS OF LOGO
RELAVENT COLORS
MENU REDABILITY
BRAND COHESION
WEB DESIGN UX/UI
COMPLIMENTARY TYPOGRAPHY

Text that says 'Yu-Mel's Uptown China' in red and black lettering.
Two small signs on a counter: one with a menu of cocktails and specials, and the other with a QR code for scanning with a phone. The menu includes drinks with ingredients and prices.
Two restaurant menus with drink options. The left menu features cocktails such as COSMO (vodka, triple sec, cranberry juice, lime), GINGER COSMO (vodka, triple sec, cranberry juice, lime, ginger), CHINESE MAI TAI (rum, orange juice, more rum), UPTOWN MANHATTAN (whiskey, sweet vermouth, cherry), PEAR TREE MARTINI (pear vodka, elderflower liqueur, lime), ANCIENT CHINESE NEGRONI (Campari, gin, sweet vermouth), LYchee COCKTAIL, UPTOWN MARGARITA, TITO'S & A MIXER, CASAMIGOS, and other drinks, priced from $8 to $13. The right menu lists wines (red and white, at $8 each), bubbles (Prosecco, $7), and beers (local drafts including Georgetown Bodhizafa and Fremont Sky Kraken, and bottled & canned beers like Tsing Tao, Pabst Blue Ribbon Tall Boy, Coors Light, White Claw, prices ranging from $6 to $7). Both menus have a dragon illustration, Chinese characters, and the phrase 'year of the DRAGON' at the bottom.
Menu from Yu-Mei's Uptown China restaurant featuring sections for Appetizers, Soups, Rice & Noodles, Tofu & Veggies, Poultry, From the Sea, Pork, Beef, and Additions, with prices listed.
Menu from Yu-Mei's Uptown China restaurant listing appetizers, soups, rice and noodles, and tofu and vegetables dishes.
Two menus from Yu-Mei's UPTOWN-CHINA, one for Plant Based Menu with appetizers, soups, house favorites, rice and noodles, and vegetables, and one for Lunch Special with options for choice of soup, appetizer, dish, and specialties.
Menu for Yu-Mei's Uptown China restaurant with sections for appetizers, soups, house favorites, tofu, pickled vegetables, spicy dragon mushrooms, rice & noodles, and vegetables.
A person holding a restaurant menu titled 'Yu-Mei's Uptown-China Lunch Special'. The menu lists various Chinese dishes, including options for land and sea, different rice and noodle dishes, and specialties. The background shows a table with glasses and a blurred restaurant interior.
A two-page Chinese takeout menu from Yu-Mei's Uptown China, listing various dishes under categories such as chicken, seafood, pork, beef, snacks, soups, noodles, vegetables, and tofu, with prices labeled.
A Korean restaurant menu offering dine-in, take-out, delivery, and catering services, with sections for appetizers, house favorites, vegetables, rice and noodles, soups, chicken, pork, beef, tofu and veggies, seafood, and catering services. Contact information includes a phone number, website, and social media icons.
Business card for Yu-Mei's Uptown China with phone number 206-285-7710, website uptown-china.com, Instagram and Facebook handles, and minimum order and delivery fee information, placed on a wooden surface with a metal stand.
Nighttime exterior view of Yu-Mei's Uptown China restaurant & bar with red neon lights, large potted palm plants, and a chalkboard sign advertising Kraken Coke for $9.

New Paint and Canopy

A restaurant and bar called 'Y-Mei's Uptown-China' located at an intersection of John Street and Queen Anne Avenue N, with the exterior view showing a red awning and red accents, decorated with potted plants outside.
Guide with logo variations, color palette, and font details for Yu-Mei's Uptown China.
A hand holding a paper receipt and a red pen in a wooden holder with the text 'MOLLY' and 'CHINA' printed on it. The receipt includes the address of Uptown China in Seattle, WA, along with order details.

Custom Check
presenter build

A table with a reserved sign in the foreground, and a blurry sign in the background, inside a room with beige walls and a picture frame.

Font Revisions

Business cards for Yu-Mei's Uptown China restaurant on a gray surface, one red with white text and one white with red and black text, displaying restaurant name, cuisine types (Hunan, Szechuan, Mandarin), address, phone number, and website.

Business Cards

Pair of white chopsticks with red text reading 'UPTOWN CHINA' resting on a gray surface, with a soy sauce bottle in the background.

Hand Screen Printed Chopsticks

Neon sign of a cocktail glass with two lime slices and the word 'open' illuminated below.

Designed Open Neon
Ginger Cosmo

Back of a person wearing a black hoodie with a red Chinese dragon design and the words 'Uptown China' on the back

Design and Print

A chalkboard sign outside a restaurant advertises Casamigos tequila for $10, labeled as 'not made in China,' with a drawing of a shot glass with lime and salt. It also states the tequila is 'almost as good as a good tequila' for $8.

Illustrations

A sidewalk chalkboard sign advertising a Kraken and Coke cocktail for $8, labeled as an unofficial NHL cocktail, with a sketch of a Coke glass with ice and a straw, at night on a city street.
Outdoor sidewalk chalkboard sign for Yu-Mei's UPTOWN-CHINA restaurant reading: 'COOLEST CHINESE RESTAURANT EVER' and 'BRAND NEW AIR CONDITIONER' in front of a red and black building with glass door, neon 'open' sign, and plants.

Illustrations

Illustrations

DISCRIPTION TEST CHECK CHECK 1, 2
Menu from Yu-Mei's Uptown China featuring appetizers, soups, rice & noodles, and tofu & veggies sections.
A hand holding a menu from Yu-Mei's Uptown China restaurant, displaying lunch specials, dishes, and noodle options.
Restaurant menu from Yu-Mei's Uptown China with sections for appetizers, soups, house favorites, tofu, pickled vegetables, spicy dragon mushrooms, rice and noodles, and vegetables.
A reserved sign on a table in a restaurant or café.
Sign pointing left for restrooms in a public space.
Business card for Yu-Mei's Uptown China with phone number 206-285-7710, website uptown-china.com, Instagram and Facebook social media handles, placed on a wooden table.
A sign advertising Yu-Mei's Uptown China restaurant, with a message warning others that they will regret parking there, featuring an image of a steamed bun.
Parking lot with a white painted sign reading 'UTOYNN CHINA' on the asphalt surface, with part of a grey car and yellow parking lines visible.
Exterior view of a Chinese restaurant called 'Y. Miao's Uptown China,' with a white banner displaying the restaurant's phone number and website, and smaller banners celebrating a 30-year anniversary.
Business card and flyer for Yu-Mei's Uptown China, a restaurant in Seattle, Washington, featuring Chinese cuisine such as Hunan, Szechuan, and Mandarin.
A hand holding a Peet's Coffee receipt holder with a pen, featuring a receipt from Uptown China. The holder has a wooden and leather look with red text.
Red neon sign inviting people to a social media shoot and appreciation night at UpTown China restaurant on November 4th at 7 pm.
A chalkboard sign on the sidewalk advertising Kraken and Coke for $8, labeled as an unofficial NHL cocktail, with people and cars in the background.
A wooden A-frame sidewalk sign with a blackboard displaying a colorful chalk drawing of a green cocktail with a lime wedge, chopsticks, and a mint leaf. The sign advertises the restaurant's most voted Chinese Margarita at Uptown and Margaritas.
A chalkboard sign outside a restaurant with pink and blue text promoting the restaurant as the 'coolest Chinese restaurant ever' and advertising a new air conditioner. In the background, there is a glass door with a neon sign of a martini glass and t
Person wearing a black hoodie with a red embroidered dragon design on the back, sitting in a restaurant or cafe.
Two shopping bags with dragon designs, one in red and one in gold, resting against a beige sofa.
Person wearing a white T-shirt and black apron holding a plate of fried rice with vegetables.
Close-up of a man wearing a black polo shirt with red and white embroidered text, with beverage bottles in the background.