How we baked a love brand between pizzas
While some gastro venues were trying to save money during the lockdowns or whether to close down completely, the renowned pizzeria Da Pietro from Plzeň did it their way. In addition to preparing its first Prague branch, it managed to open a brand new grill in Pilsen and had a new visual identity prepared by Prague-based studio Brandmark for all its plans.
Everyone can see that Petr Soukal and his partner Martin Mečír, who are behind Da Pietro pizzeria and grill, are not afraid to do things differently and properly. Just taste their modern Neapolitan pizza, which is what fans of this branch of popular food flock to Pilsen for. However, there is no room left in the pizzeria for some other popular Neapolitan and street food menu items, so this summer they opened another place in its close vicinity.
In addition to burgers and fries, the new Grill Da Pietro also focuses on traditional Neapolitan fried street food such as crocche, arancini, or frittatina di pasta, and the menu is complemented by, again somewhat surprisingly, natural wines, which Petr Soukal, like the ingredients for his pizzas, goes directly to their producers to select. Customers will have to wait a while for the Prague branch of Da Pietro pizzeria. Construction work on the space and other preparations have slowed down the covid after all.
Along with the expansion of Da Pietro came the need for a unifying visual identity that would cover the entire brand and also highlight the specifics of the individual concepts. This was taken up by Brandmark Studio, which prepared a completely new identity for Da Pietro as well as specific materials for both pizzerias and the grill. As the main theme, Brandmark chose just that little bit different approach of the owners to everything they do.
"We liked that the guys weren't afraid to do things their way, and we wanted to bring their approach into the branding. At the same time, we wanted to express the blending of Neapolitan tradition and modern Czech concepts, but also honest craftsmanship made with the hands. All of this meets in the gestures of human hands - the owner uses his hands to prepare the dough every day or to cajole the staff in the hustle and bustle of the restaurant, expressive gesticulation is typical of true pizza, the punks have their gestures, and finally, you can express the pleasure of good food in one globally understandable gesture. Connoisseurs will also discover slang Neapolitan expressions among the gestures," says the creator of the concept and creative director of Brandmark, Tomáš Paichl.
"By using colour, we have brought the Italian tradition to the Czech Republic. Each of the pizzeria's branches will have its own tricolour colour, and we also used red for the grill, where the element of fire is the main word. All in all, all three businesses belong together and at the same time each is a bit different," adds Tomáš Paichl.
As part of the rebranding of the existing pizzeria and the building of the new Grill Da Pietro brand, Brandmark prepared the entire visual concept from the logo, typography, and colour scheme to the final application of the style on, for example, menus and wine lists, staff clothing, awnings, pizza boxes, and neon light signage.
