Description:

Hali was conceived in a pre-lockdown world by successful restauranteurs Simon and Lisa Levy. Planning began in early 2020 to introduce a new level of sophisticated yet casual dining to the central city.

The only strong ideas brought to the table in the early stages revolved around the possibility of Hali being a seafood inspired restaurant due, in no small part, to the fish shaped footprint of the building it would soon occupy.

The project was initially tackled though a rigorous discovery process, detailing ideal customer profiles and empathy mapping — followed by brand attribution studies to determine Hali’s position in the market, it’s purpose, it’s mission, it’s vision and values.

As part of our discovery sessions we discussed many name concepts — Hali was chosen; a Greek name often given to girls, loosely translated to “the sea”.

The passion and experience Simon and Lisa bring to the Christchurch hospitality scene was evident. Their success around the globe and in other areas of the local market could not be ignored — this was key in creating a brand strategy that resonated with their staff and guests.

Hali was set to be something special in a rapidly developing hospitality market in Christchurch.

We delivered brand strategy documents - statements created with intent and purpose, built by understanding a couple who are truly dedicated to hospitality delivered at the highest level.

With these messages in mind we set out to add a visual identity to represent Hali that is fun, vibrant and exceptional in all aspects.

The resulting identity captures a level of sophistication and excitement. Vintage style fish illustrations, simple typography and bold imagery are all set against a vibrant colour palette.

We built a series of messages for Hali’s brand launch. The marketing drive across traditional print media and social saw Hali fully booked, nearly every night, for its first 2 months of operation.