Bang Bang is part izakaya, part street eatery, bringing the gritty old-school alleyways of Tokyo’s Shinjuku district to Darling Square’s Steam Mill Lane. Walk through the bullet-sprayed roller doors and into a neon lit open kitchen and bar, grab a stool behind the curtains of the yatai stall, pick up a Japanese soda from the vending machine wall, escape the hustle and bustle in the hidden tatami room, or sing your heart out in the glass karaoke box.

Harley Johnston Design worked with interior design firm Interior Life to create this Tokyo themed bar and restaurant. The goal was to mix old and new, authentic and imagined. As such items like the drink vending machines are all recreated from real references, the floor markings were also designed using Tokyo references. These sit along side murals by James Jirat Patradoon and Enku Shoji, environmental graphics and neon signage. The result is an overwhelming of the senses that some have mentioned feels like being in Tokyo.

For the logo type we chose ITC Serif Gothic black for its Japanese feel: the bold shapes and fine serifs remind us of the roofs found on some Japanese temples and the headwear of ancient samurai. We wanted the overall theme to feel like this bar could really exist hidden away in Tokyo – a tall order – and we imagined the typefaces that would be used would be older default fonts, hence the typewriter choice, Pitch Sans. For the headline we started with the Japanese font Toppan Bunkyu Midashi Mincho extra bold for its old style and sharp serifs. We then found a Latin match in Gza which we felt had a slightly off-kilter feel like you often find in the Latin characters of Asian fonts.

More information and many images of the interior with more props, murals and artwork can be found at https://harleyjohnston.com/project/bang-bang/

Venue info at: bang-bang.com.au