Ichiban

Overview

Ichiban is a Japanese restaurant brand that needed a website as considered as their food. We built an editorial Next.js site that uses SVG image tracing to turn food photography into art-style visuals, split-screen hero layouts, and collage grids inspired by Japanese graphic design traditions.

The Challenge

Most restaurant websites look identical — full-bleed food photos, a menu PDF link, and a reservation button. Ichiban's food and ambiance deserved something that felt like editorial design, not a template.

Our Approach

We used imagetracerjs to process food photography into stylized SVG vector traces, giving the site a signature visual treatment no one else has. A SplitHero component creates cinematic left/right composition. The CollageGrid philosophy section layered typography over image fragments. Framer Motion scroll animations throughout.

What We Built

• SVG image tracing via imagetracerjs — photography turned into signature art
• Split-screen hero with cinematic layout composition
• Collage grid section inspired by Japanese print design
• Scroll-triggered Framer Motion animations throughout
• Light/dark theme support via next-themes
• Data-driven menu highlight section
• Custom color tokens for the Ichiban brand palette