Lime & Cilantro is a 2016 Saveur award-winning food blog written by Soe Thein, who believes that food tastes better with a dash of stories. When Soe first moved to the United States, he craved his hometown cuisine, and started to cook out of sheer desperation. While the first dish was, as he called, "a crappy horror movie," the more he cooked, the more he realized that behind each recipe lies a story of perseverance, creativity, love and history. Every taste of a well though-out dish is a glimpse into the cook's inner core. Today, Lime & Cilantro is a reflection of the priceless experience.

Note: This project is currently in progress and the case study shows a very early stage.

Soe provided an example of how he wanted his blog to look, and I began the research by doing a competitive audit. I looked at other blogs with similar readership and interests to get a sense for how they use content marketing and layout to enhance their brand and storytelling.

The original logo focuses on the key ingredients in every major Burmese dish, capturing the culinary heritage of the Soe. The brand vision is clear, but with a new direction of a more sophisticated and elegant photojournalism, the original logo lacked the necessary modern touch.

The original web layout was based on an existing template on Blogger, and served as a tool to get the content published online. As the blog grew, the content also developed its own voice, complemented by compelling visuals. Maintaining the original web design meant significantly limiting access to the captivating stories.