PRoject OVerview
Sai Woo Restaurant, opened in 2015 by restaurateur Salli Pateman, was a revival of the original Sai Woo Chop Suey, which operated from 1925 to 1959. Salli sought to bring back the iconic restaurant’s legacy and charm in the heart of Vancouver’s Chinatown.
Challenges
During the restaurant's rebirth, Salli discovered footage of the original Sai Woo neon sign from the 1950s. However, the sign itself had been lost over time, leaving only a single clip of footage as a reference. The challenge was to recreate this historical sign with minimal visual information, ensuring it captured the spirit of the original neon era.
Solutions
Using the limited footage available, we meticulously recreated the vibrant Sai Woo sign, staying true to its 1950s neon style. The new sign now proudly illuminates the entrance at 158 East Pender Street, bringing a piece of the restaurant’s history back to life and welcoming guests with the same iconic glow as decades before.
Project Scope
REplicating the original Sign
We researched signs from the 1950’s, studying the layout, colours, neon style and build techniques of how the original Sai Woo sign would have been created. We matched the sign as close to the original Sai Woo sign as possible to appear like it had been in place all along.
REplicating the original Sign
The footage capture used to re-create the Sai Woo sign was a single frame of a wordless, neon sign documentary. No other artifact was found of what the first sign looked like when it was originally installed.
Gaining Popularity
Once the Sai Woo sign was installed and the neon lights were turned on it was no surprise it received a huge amount of attention. The sign was featured in a variety media, such as: Novo Magazine, Montecristo Magazine, Vancouver Sun, CBC News, and the Sign Media Magazine.
