BaseHall is a Hong Kong company dealing with food courts and event places. They opened two places in the city in 2022, the first one being in the basement of Jardine House – one of the city’s most famous office towers in the heart of corporate Central. Normally, when people talk about exciting food in Hong Kong, they’d most likely be thinking Soho. To convince people to go to this unexpected location for dinner, London agency Otherway created “a brand that would punch above its weight and stand out” (quoted from Otherway’s website).
The brand personality was therefore built around a duality of ‘Playful food lover’ meets ‘Passionate food expert’ – allowing us to balance a fun-loving, messy and even cheeky tone, with expert knowledge and authentic storytelling.
BaseHall’s world is inspired by the visual wealth that Hong Kong provides. From the signage to the tactility of the photography, every instance has been designed with a care and attention to detail that pays homage to the rich and vibrant culture of the city.Initially inspired by the traditional lightbox signage of Hong Kong, the design language is built on a grid system which visualises all the layers coming together to create a tapestry.
This tapestry is made up of a combination of bold, statement typography and rich, illustrated worlds.
To sport all the communication, Otherway created a customized version of Luke Prowse’s NaN Fiasco. It hints at the distinctive circular windows of BaseHall’s original home, Jardine House. We can note that this modification brings Fiasco in the growing list of typefaces with perfectly circular countershapes that are being released since three years. (Ballpill, Reform, Gregram, ABC Maxi Round, Rauschen Max, etc.). To counter this customized Fiasco playfulness, Otherway makes a sporadic use of the lighter weights of NaN Tragedy for a more elegant and refined touch.
