Da Giovanni
Tasteful branding made to share
Da Giovanni is a household name in Antwerp. We captured the essence of the restaurant in a coherent identity with a custom typeface, quirky aquarelle illustrations and a red and white chequered pattern that even ended up on an umbrella.
The story behind the work
What was the challenge?
Da Giovanni has become a household name in Antwerp. The city centre offers a wide range of Italian restaurants, yet this one stands out. We wanted to know which elements explain its success and why the audience connects with it. The restaurant cherishes its Italian heritage, and the identity had to reflect that. Our task was to pin down all the key ingredients of the Da Giovanni identity and turn them into a coherent system, by updating existing elements and adding new ones.
What choices did we make?
The custom typeface is inspired by the authentic, hand-painted window lettering of the restaurant. Our classic typeface pays tribute to the Italian heritage that Da Giovanni cherishes. For the images we got our hands dirty, even if it was just paint stains. Quirky aquarelle illustrations pair food in an uncanny way and tickle people's taste buds and curiosity. They enrich the menu like no photography ever could. We eat with our eyes, after all. The red and white chequered tablecloths are a familiar sight in the restaurant, so we kept that pattern.
What did we create?
We built a coherent identity system from updated and new elements. It includes a custom typeface, a classic typeface and a series of aquarelle illustrations for the menu. After some tweaking, we put the chequered tablecloth pattern centre stage. It appears on pizza and pasta boxes and even on an umbrella, which tastefully links Italian food with Belgian weather.