When Tradition Meets Design: The Archive Kitchen
When Tradition Meets Design: The Archive Kitchen
Role: UX/UI Designer
Tools: Figma, Canva
Project Type: Web Design Coursework, Maryville University
Grade: 95%
Embedded Files
The Concept
The Concept
The Archive Kitchen is a minimalist restaurant concept that serves hotpot with an American soul food twist. The idea: blend the communal dining of hotpot with the comfort and flavor of Southern cooking. The design needed to feel calm, intentional, and sophisticated: a digital table setting where tradition and innovation meet.
Design Goals
Design Goals
The assignment required designing the homepage and menu page using an existing mood board and wireframes. The goal was to create a cohesive, responsive desktop experience that communicated both heritage and modernity through layout, typography, and imagery.
Key objectives:
Develop a clean interface emphasizing white space and hierarchy
Integrate subtle textures and warm neutrals to mirror the physical dining environment
Create intuitive navigation that feels as n
The Process
The Process
I started by translating my mood board into structure: identifying typefaces, spacing systems, and color tones that captured warmth without clutter. Using Figma, I built out two core pages:
Home Page: Introduced the brand story with a hero image, call-to-action, and preview of signature dishes.
Menu Page: Focused on clarity. Dishes were grouped by experience: broth, flavor base, and communal add-ins, reinforcing the idea of shared dining.
Applying user-feedback cycles helped refine layout balance. Small adjustments,like line height, image weight, and button contrast, shifted the design from “student work” to something ready for real-world use.
What I Learned
What I Learned
This project made the connection between aesthetic intention and usability tangible. Design choices aren’t just visual—they change how people interact and feel. I became more confident making informed decisions around:
Hierarchy and spacing to guide attention
Typographic pairings that balance tone and readability
Layout consistency that reinforces brand identity
What’s Next
What’s Next
The next phase is designing the responsive mobile version. My focus moving forward is learning how to maintain a consistent brand system across multiple pages and breakpoints without losing freshness.
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