Ciro’s pizzeria was looking to start a chain of family restaurants that focused on delivering authentic Italian pizza. One of their primary advantages was ‘Ciro Cattaneo’ an Italian chef with over twenty years of culinary success. He was helping them make real Italian pizza with fresh ingredients that was lighter, thinner, and made in a wood-fired oven. The end result was miles apart from standard fast-food pizza. They wanted to showcase this through a brand that would appeal to a young, modern, and discerning customer.
In order to celebrate the authentic nature of Ciro’s pizza, we created an identity focused around the concept of ‘modern authenticity’. It is inspired by modern European trends, combined with the rustic nature of pizza itself. We infused a sense of authenticity into every detail, from the logo and brand pattern to the packaging, artwork, and even restaurant interior details like terracotta bricks and distressed wood. When the brand launched, this translated into a strong buzz, improved sales, and allowed Ciro’s to successfully expand into multiple new cities.
The logo mark is inspired by Ciro’s face and creates warmth while focusing the spotlight on him. The logo-type uses a clean and minimalist vintage sans serif font, with smooth edges and rounded corners, inspired by hand-drawn lettering and vintage printing. This balance between ‘modern’ and ‘heritage’ embodies Ciro’s identity while communicating authenticity. We developed a unique pattern for the Ciro’s brand that directly relates to the logo typeface. It draws inspiration from ancient Italian architectural details. The purpose of the pattern is to strengthen the brand's recall by creating a bold and immediate connection.
The brand collaterals carry forward the visual identity system. A careful combination of the logo, brand pattern, and colors are used in all elements to emphasize the brand identity. The menu uses natural materials such as stained wood and a brass binding to hold the pages together. This adds to the vintage appeal while being executed in a minimal modern format. The menu also uses black and white photos and etched illustrations to inspire a sense of heritage. The paper napkins, table mats, and seasoning packets also help communicate the brand language and play a role in strengthening the modern-authentic appeal of the Ciro’s brand.
