1->3
Conceptualized and executed a grant-funded series of free food events in my apartment, creating a ‘third place’ to foster community amongst strangers through shared meals. Developed a visual identity with a team of designers inspired by street vendors, including the website, menu, and promotional materials.
Role: Co-founder, UXD, Graphic Design
With: Michelle Dang, Yoo Sung Lee
Tools: Figma, Photoshop, ReadyMag
Summary
The concept of a “third place” originates from sociologist Ray Oldenburg’s 1989 book, The Great Good Place. Your first place is your home. Your second place is your place of work. Third places are public spaces where we find community. The name of our project is 1->3 (“one to three”) because we converted our first place, our home, into a third place, a free pop-up restaurant.
Our pop-up restaurant spanned across four themed events, serving street food that reflects our cultural backgrounds.
Problem Space
Food brings people together, but restaurants include the obligation of spending money to be there, as well as the time limit to leave once you’ve finished your meal.
1->3 is a place for food, community, and conversation. Third places are necessary for our overall well-being, and we aimed to cultivate an environment that was accessible and welcoming.
Process
Besides practicing our recipes and prepping our ingredients, we spent time iterating our brand identity as well. We were inspired by street food, so we knew we wanted a bold color scheme. But besides that, we wanted a symbol to represent our cultural backgrounds; Vietnamese, Colombian, and Korean. Staying within our theme, we chose plastic chairs—nostalgic pieces of furniture that have found their way in backyards, at cookouts, and on iconic bustling streets around the world.
