Branding for Boom Boom Bao
Boom Boom Bao ignited as part of BGP Group’s trio of new restaurant concepts for Market East, the latest expansion of Atlanta’s iconic Ponce City Market. Tasked with developing a brand around steamed buns and dim sum classics, we dove deep into the rich cultural heritage and culinary artistry behind the menu. Through one-on-one interviews and thorough market analysis, we crafted a brand strategy rooted in bold celebration and authenticity. The creative direction drew inspiration from Chinese fireworks—an homage to their dazzling bursts of color and energy—which became a metaphor for the vibrant, explosive flavors packed into every bao and dish. From this spark, we shaped a brand identity around three core traits: Celebratory, Ethnically Rooted, and Crafted. The result? A playful yet reverent concept that invites guests to explore and savor.
2025
Year
BGP Group, Inc
Client
QSR - Quick Serve Restaurant, Food Hall
Client Type
Atlanta, GA
Location(s)
Brand Brief Strategy, Naming, Visual Identity Design, Interior Design, Packaging Design, Uniform Design, Menu Suite Design
Services
Brand Insight & Strategy
With Market East drawing a bustling, diverse crowd, one of our biggest challenges was ensuring Boom Boom Bao stood out. We needed to attract curiosity while also introducing some of the menu’s more adventurous items, like chicken feet and fried crab claws—dishes unfamiliar to many American diners.
Our insight: lean into the celebratory, almost theatrical nature of dim sum, using fireworks as a cultural bridge. By framing the experience around joy, craftsmanship, and flavor discovery, we positioned Boom Boom Bao not just as another vendor—but as an invitation to indulge, explore, and celebrate.
Celebratory
Ethnically Rooted
Crafted
Restaurant brand identity Design
The visual identity for Boom Boom Bao was designed to celebrate the brand’s core traits—Celebratory, Ethnically Rooted, and Crafted—with a bold, nostalgic twist. Drawing inspiration from vintage Chinese fireworks packaging, the typography bursts with playful energy, echoing both the explosive flavors and the lively atmosphere of the concept.
The graphic language blends iconic Chinese elements like lanterns, bao shapes, and festive symbols, presented through a modern lens that feels both familiar and fresh.
The vibrant palette of fiery reds and golden yellows reinforces the celebratory nature, while subtle nods to traditional motifs ground the brand in its cultural roots.
Together, these elements create a dynamic system that feels joyful, authentic, and ready to ignite curiosity.
Restaurant MENU Design
The handheld menus for Boom Boom Bao were designed as an extension of the brand’s high-energy, celebratory identity. Inspired by vintage fireworks labels and classic dim sum menus, the layouts are bold, structured, and visually dynamic. The typography bursts with character—literally—while the color palette of firecracker reds and vibrant yellows ensures immediate attention and ties back to the brand’s visual system.
We organized the menu around easy-to-navigate categories, clearly showcasing the variety of steamed buns, soup dumplings, and dim sum offerings through vivid food photography. A playful mix of English and Chinese typography adds authenticity and cultural context, while subtle design details—like graphic fireworks and cheeky sidebars—reinforce the theme of bold flavor and festive celebration. The result is a menu that doesn’t just inform—it excites, enticing guests to explore both familiar favorites and adventurous bites with confidence.
Restaurant Interior Design
For the interior design of Boom Boom Bao, we collaborated with the talented team at Office of Design to bring the brand’s playful energy and cultural roots to life. Our role focused on directing the signage design, façade details, and the development of bold graphic statements throughout the space.
At the heart of the design is a sweeping, oversized mural featuring a mythical dragon wrapped around bao buns and bursting fireworks—an emblematic fusion of tradition, flavor, and celebration. This mural, layered in vibrant reds and golds, immediately draws the eye and sets the tone for the entire experience. The exterior signage, with its glowing lights and rounded forms, nods to classic Chinese street food stalls while feeling fresh and inviting within the bustling food hall.
Additional branded moments—like cheeky window decals (“Let’s Get Steamy”) and illuminated ordering signs—add personality and reinforce the celebratory, crafted spirit of the brand. Every design element was intentionally selected to amplify the brand’s core traits while creating a high-impact, high-energy space that turns heads and draws crowds.
Restaurant Packaging Design
For Boom Boom Bao’s packaging, we set out to extend the brand’s celebratory, crafted energy into every takeout moment. We designed a full suite of custom packaging elements—each one blending bold personality with practical functionality.
From sturdy bowls designed to hold steaming bao buns and dumplings to playful chopstick sleeves and branded bao paper, every detail reinforces the visual identity. The takeout bags and plastic carryout sacks feature the brand’s fiery typography and signature bao-shaped logo, ensuring the brand travels well beyond the food hall. Even the lids and stickers were carefully considered, adding pops of bright yellow and the playful “BBB” bao bomb icon to create cohesion across every piece.
This packaging system doesn’t just protect the food—it amplifies the guest experience, making every order feel like an exciting, gift-wrapped celebration.
Restaurant Uniform Design
To complete the brand experience, we designed custom staff uniforms that blend boldness, energy, and a hint of playful kitsch. The uniforms feature bright yellow t-shirts—chosen to evoke the warmth of steamed buns—with vivid red typography and graphics pulled directly from the brand’s visual system.
The front of the shirt proudly displays the Boom Boom Bao logo alongside the signature tagline, while the back features a playful graphic of a steaming bamboo basket surrounded by fireworks, reinforcing the brand’s celebratory spirit. Custom embroidered red hats complete the look, adding a subtle nod to classic kitchen headwear with a modern, street-style twist.
These uniforms not only build team spirit and brand cohesion—they also turn every staff member into a walking ambassador for the brand, radiating the same high-energy vibe as the space itself.
Project Recap
Boom Boom Bao exploded onto the scene in June 2025, opening as part of BGP Group’s new trio of Asian-inspired concepts inside the Market East wing of Ponce City Market. Fueled by bold flavors, a vibrant brand identity, and an immersive guest experience, the concept quickly became a standout among the food hall’s bustling mix of eateries.
From day one, Boom Boom Bao captured the curiosity and cravings of guests with its celebratory, high-impact visual language—spanning everything from the playful bao bomb logo and fiery menus to the packaging, uniforms, and mural-wrapped interior. Every detail of the brand was designed to create momentum, spark joy, and invite exploration.
The result? A brand that doesn’t just serve bao buns and dim sum—it delivers a full sensory celebration that keeps guests coming back for more.
“The brand is full of vibrant life and energy and really captures our vision for this concept. We’re excited to grow it and with this work we know we have the best chance to do that.”