A brand design for Italian deli Massi's in collaboration with branding studio Saint-Urbain. The project began with a fuzzy childhood memory for designer and creative director Ostroff. Inspired by a neighborhood Italian restaurant he frequented around the age of five, he says he "grabbed a very blurry image and reconstructed it, as if to describe a dream."
At the center of that memory were yellow characters, and it turned out that they weren't just doodles, but characters from the traditional Italian card game Scopa. This discovery provided a crucial clue in establishing Massi's own visual language. Saint-Urbain created hand-drawn illustrations interpreting the suits, characters, and symbols of the Scopa cards and applied them to merchandise, uniforms, signage, and menus. The graphics convey a playful, friendly energy, and are a natural fit with the restaurant's inclusive atmosphere.
The brand name, Massi's, comes from the nickname of the executive chef's son, Massimo, and was intended to capture the family warmth and familiarity of a longtime neighborhood restaurant. The custom wordmark reflects this, with a modern take on traditional Italian typography found on 1960s sauce bottles, bakery wrappers, and butcher paper. It was also considered to match the white tile walls that complement the interior concept.
The color palette consists of warm reds, yellows, and flour tones inspired by tomato paste, matchboxes, and bread bags, conveying the brand's confidence and approachability. The typography bridges the sensibility between Italian tradition and American pop culture, using VTC Carrie and VTC Marsha, which can be found in American sandwich shops. Pairing them together with Gothic 725 adds visual clarity and modern balance.
Saint-Urbain's rebrand is notable for its heartfelt approach, starting with memories and emotions, not data or trend analysis. The rebrand, which started with a single image of a yellow horse, shows how a brand can capture real emotion. Massi's is no longer just a restaurant, but a place where someone's memories come alive.
