Da Luca is an Italian family restaurant that has been located in the center of Amersfoort for 35+ years. This project required a refresh of the brand identity design including a new logo suite and marketing collateral such as a menu, business cards and website design.
For the rebranding we dived into the history of the restaurant and used elements from their history. The emphasis for the restaurant brand identity is on the informal atmosphere, eccentricity and authentic Italian touch.
Client
Project details & deliverables
Rebranding | Huisstijl ontwerp | Menukaart ontwerp | Visitekaartje met QR-code ontwerp | Content creatie
After 35 years, it was time for a rebranding of the brand identity for the Italian restaurant. A few of things that were important to reflect in the rebranding:
• The history of the restaurant
• The informal, eccentricity atmosphere
• Focus on the simple, high quality Italian food
For the logo design of the restaurant, we dived into the scrapbooks that the owners kept. Here we found an illustration from years ago — when the restaurant was still a snack bar — they used for their handwritten menus. The quirky logo is a reflection of why people come to Da Luca; they feel connected to the owners and their style of cooking and relationship with customers.
The pink color used in the corporate identity design is derived from traditional Italian trattorias. You often see this color reflected on menus where the dishes are written out by hand. This was chosen because the atmosphere of a trattoria matches that of Da Luca — informal and authentic, simple food.
The choice of fonts and color palette has been kept simple — the quality of their Italian food speaks for itself. That is why the final brand identity design for the restaurant has become low-key with its own twist.
In addition to a refresh of the branding for the restaurant, a number of their marketing materials have also been overhauled. Because Da Luca has a regular customer base for years, there was no need to focus on marketing for the restaurant itself. The quality of the Italian food speaks for itself. The marketing materials are mainly intended to maintain customer relationships.
For this project, additional marketing materials have been developed beyond those provided within the service. Check our service page to see what’s included and what’s not. For each project, we also think about which materials should be developed based on the goals of the client. That is why the focus was on refreshing the existing marketing materials:
The idea behind the menu design is derived from traditional trattorias — here menus are often handwritten or printed on linen-pressed paper. This gives the menu an informal look and feel and there is room to adapt the menu to the seasons.
It was decided for Da Luca to have the outside of the menu printed on a thicker cardboard material with a coating. This means that the cover can take a beating and a few greasy fingers. The inside of the menu is printed on standard paper so that the owners can customize their menu.
At Da Luca, a business card was still frequently requested by customers. To make it even easier for them to make a reservation, we chose to use a QR code. The customer can scan it so that they are forwarded to the reservation widget on the website.
In collaboration with Lizzy of Iluzie, we have given the website a refresh. A simple website with the information the customer is looking for: the menu and a way to make a reservation. The Da Luca team can also add a weekly menu and information can be found about their self-imported products.
For the 35th anniversary of the Italian restaurant, we designed thank you cards that they put in their customer orders.
In addition to a rebranding for the restaurant, we also maintained the content marketing and creation for them. The focus was on the following content pillars:
• Sharing personal news (during the corona period)
• Weekly menus
• History of the restaurant
As indicated earlier, Da Luca does not focus on marketing to attract new customers. Their focus for content creation was on maintaining customer relationships.
After the Strategic Rebranding project has been completed, you will receive both a brand guide and an off-boarding e-book with tips to restart your entrepreneurial journey. The brand guide helps you to consistently use your branding designs. It explains where you can find which marketing material in your personal brand folder and ensures that you can further expand your success.
The off-boarding e-book is a tool to help you after the project ends. It contains a general explanation of what your brand folder looks like and how you can best use the different files. How your brand guide helps your brand to stay consistent and how you apply the strategy. Tips on what you should and shouldn’t do with your logos, explanation about colors and how we can possibly work together. On our service page you can see what we offer.