American Mortals began as a hair salon in downtown Philadelphia. The salon grew to include production of their own brand of specialized hair products. The owners tasked us with creating a new identity and establishing a visual language that could be used in a unified packaging system.

The final bottle designs are an amalgam of hand lettering, character illustration, entertaining copywriting, and elegant layout carefully considered to imbue each bottle with it’s own personality, while at the same time working within a system. Costs were kept low by utilizing one color printing, but things were kept interesting by changing colors per product type and choosing vibrant hues. More products are currently being designed within this system as well.

Full identity package for a pizzeria / trattoria in Hoboken New Jersey. The restaurant was developed by Buddy Valastro (of television’s Cake Boss) and was to be named in honor of his daughter.

We developed a series of marks that incorporated her name as well as a profile of her likeness. We used typefaces and custom hand-drawn lettering to evoke a feeling of familiarity and warmth associated with the neighborhood pizzeria, but also paired this with more modern color palletes to create a more upscale look.

Project consisted of identity, menu design, signage, interior design, website and printed collateral.

Design and brand strategy for a new wine and spirits store and event space located at the foot of the Manhattan Bridge in Brooklyn. The challenge put forth by the owners was to envision an identity that was completely different than most other wine shops - no old world, barrel, glass or grape imagery here. Instead, the owners were taking a decidedly more modern approach to the store, presenting the wines and spirits in a curated, gallery-like atmosphere. The feel of the space was to be west coast, modern, and inspired by yachting and nautical lifestyles. That essence had to be incorporated into the identity as well.

After exploring numerous options, including custom lettering, we came to a monogram solution. The letters W and G overlap, joined by an implied ampersand. In keeping with the nautical inspiration, the colors are a muted navy and cream, and the implied ampersand also reads as a knot.

Scope included identity, supporting collateral, full e-commerce website and graphics/signage for the brick and mortar showroom from concept to final execution.

Full identity package for a small restaurant / art gallery located at the base of the Manhattan Bridge in Brooklyn.

This restaurant was hidden away at the back of a loading dock (hence the name) and needed a bit of an identity upgrade to help visibility on-site as well as a more consistent look throughout all their communications.

The identity plays off the industrial nature of the space and adds warmth and playfulness through color and small design touches. The palette and industrial-strength typography inspired the collateral and menu design. Eventually the restaurant built a full-service food truck, which we also designed in the same look and feel as the brick and mortar restaurant.

Project consisted of identity, menu design, signage, website, printed collateral, and vehicle design.