Lotus Catering
Maui, Hawaii
Lotus Catering is a Maui-based event producer specializing in catering and wedding planning. Founded by renowned chef and restaurateur, Carol Longhi, Lotus uses only the finest ingredients and materials – locally sourced, where available – to create their epicurean masterpieces.
PROJECT TYPE
Brand • UX • Visual
My Role
- Creative Director
- UX Designer
- Visual Designer
- Info Architect
For the brand, Lotus wanted something fresh and instantly recognizable that appealed to a wide range of clientele. A warm color scheme was selected to enhance the appeal of food photography, with gold, white, and gray as the primary colors.
The owner was adamant about pink being included somehow, so an alternative color palette with a rose pink primary was also defined for use in select print, as well as matching pink lotus photos.
For the website design, I avoided an overtly coastal feel, as this is overused in Hawaii-based brands. We wanted something different, and opted to focus the visuals on appetizing food selections. The result is a foodie’s dream with a high-end appeal.
As catering and wedding-centric services in Maui are extremely competitive, SEO and search engine visibility were primary factors for the website. I provided copywriting and verbiage based on targeted keyword and phrases to boost ranking, as well as formulated content to maximize organic exposure.
*** IMPORTANT NOTE ABOUT THIS SITE ***
It’s come to my attention that an unethical SEO firm called Ocean Epic in Hawaii has not only removed my designer statement at the footer of this site, but has replaced it with their own, taking full credit for designing this website. They didn’t design or develop any part of the site, wrote none of the copy, and probably didn’t even modify my original SEO work – they were hired after I completed the site, then decided to claim they designed it. Unfortunately, design theft like this is very common 🙁
I designed Lotus’ business cards with the brand palette of golden yellow, white, and gray color palette. The standard cards are double-sided with a golden lotus floral motif on the back side, and pertinent contact info on the front side. I also designed a higher-end card with painted gold edges and gold foil designs. The high-end card features a different lotus motif on the back, with pertinent contact info on the front.
Because Lotus Catering was a brand new venture, I started the design with some simple moodboards, which aided in landing on a final bright color palette that incorporated the nature and vibe of Maui.
Site Configuration
- WordPress
- WP Bakery Page Builder
- Proprietary WP theme
- ADA-compliant
- Designed with Figma
Brand Design
- Moodboards
- Color exploration / palette
- Typography exploration / definition
- Logo
Visual & Collateral Design
- Business Cards
- Photography selection
- Photo editing and correction
- Custom Mailchimp email templates
Content Creation
- In-depth copywriting
