This is a branding project for an Italian-American Market in NYC, split into a coffee shop, pasta stand, and food market. The “American” part of the Italian-American culture for this is really emphasized since that’s such a big part of me, my family, and the history of Italian immigration to the US. My family’s heritage has always been a really big part of our lives which is why I wanted to dedicate a project to it, but my main goal was to show that Italian culture and Italian-American culture are different, and that’s ok! So, I included Americanized meals on the menus, mixing English and Italian, family photos from Italy and the States, etc. to really emphasize the difference in the two cultures.

I wanted this brand to be fun, but still have that old-school feel to it to really hone in on the goals and message of the brand, highlighting Italian heritage. I started out by looking through a ton of old family photos and trips some of my relatives took to Italy for any sort of inspiration or vintage logos I could find. When I started to get a little stuck, I thought about how actually incorporating photos of the people who inspired this project into the brand could be a really cool detail. The old grain and texture of the photos helped add that retro feeling I was looking for too. I also drew the type for the wordmark, inspired by the photos of old signage and typography I found during this process. Lastly, I knew I wanted the product photos and promotional photography to have a film feel to evoke that retro feeling. I thought flash photography on fun, pink countertops and photos in my Nonna’s kitchen would bring in that old-school feel.

Overall, I was pretty happy with this project and it was well received by my class and professors! I incorporated that retro feel to the brand with it still feeling new and fresh. My original idea was inspired by my family, and I got to include them and how they inspired me throughout the entire process, and even in the end results. I really just wanted it to be a fun, affordable, brand that has a backstory, and not just an aesthetic goal of making something look nice or pretty.