2. Mama Maria’s is an Italian restaurant
based in Hudson, Wisconsin. This is a
restaurant near my hometown that I often
visited with my parents as a child. I really
remember loving the food and e
nvironment as a child and a teenager.
After three years studying graphic design,
it was easy to see that the graphic
elements that represented the Mama
Maria’s brand was lacking. Their current
logo is simply the name “Mama Maria’s”
and “Italian Restuarant” in dated,
over-used fonts. I also realized that there
was no symbolism for the brand and that
they lacked an effective color scheme.
The current color scheme, as shown
above, is a tacky green and red, that is
used to represent almost every
Italian-American restaurant in the nation.
Because of these reasons, I decided to
revamp a family favorite. In order to do
so, I wanted to create a more elegant
identity for the brand that was more
representative of the restaurant’s
environment and their traditional
Italian roots. At the same time, I wanted
to maintain the “authentic, traditional”
brand itdentity that Mama Maria’s is
famous for.
My redesign moodboard was the first step in establishing the new and improved “Mama Ma-
ria’s.” This included finding pictures that represented traditional, romantic Italy and the classy
food and environment that the country presents. I also wanted to focus on representing the
ideas of family and community-- two big proponents of the Mama Maria brand.
PREVIOUS BRANDING REDESIGN MOODBOARD
3. The symbol ideation process was a difficult
but rewarding process. In order to find a
symbol that I really loved, I had to think of as
many disperate ideas as possible. I started
with the basic symbols of an Italian restau-
rant, a chefs hat, a bowl of spaghetti, the
Italian flag, etc. Then, I started to ideate for
the country of Italy and the symbols asso-
ciated with Italy. This included gondolas,
grapes, olives, the Leaning tower of Piza
and more. After exploring the more obvious
interpretations of the brand, I started work-
ing towards the more vague ones. I began to
generate symbols associated with familial
love and those of home. By this point in the
project, I had begun to imagine “Mama Maria”
as a little old Italian grandma and began to
assoicate the brand identity with the imag-
ined character. Becuase of this, I generated
a lot of symbols that reminded me of grand-
ma’s house, like a rocking chair, a teapot, a
rolling pin, and more. This process of expand-
ing the brand identity and reimagining the
brand in terms of symbols was extremely
helpful and began to transform the identity
for the rebrand.
In our preliminary critique for the symbol
ideation, I got fairly consistent reviews from
my poster (pictured left). People were able
to recongize that the brand was associated
with both cooking and the country of Italy.
Because of this, I knew that I was on track in
properly portraying the brand identity. Peo-
ple tended to favor the simple, well-drawn
images associated with Italy like the vespa,
and the column. Others really like those I
personally associated with “grandma’s house”
like the rolling pin and teh rocking chair. This
gave me the opportunity to play around with
the favored symbols from different categories
to see how far I could take them to represent
the new and improved Mama Maria’s.
SYMBOL
4. TOP 10 IDEAS TOP 3 IDEAS
After receiving feedback from my classmates, I was able to expand on the symbols I
found most fitting and successful. The general three categories were traditional Italy
(column, vespa, arch and gondola), grandma’s house (rocking chair, bonnet, and apron),
and floral decorations. Although I really liked the idea of using an intricate floral de-
sign, it didn’t accurately represent the brand identity, so I dropped that idea early on.
The two idea that I decided to continue to develop were traditional Italian icons, and
the comfortable feeling of “grandma’s house.” I ended up dropping the rocking chair
and the bonnet fairly on because they didn’t relate close enoungh to the brand and
didn’t remind people of Italy or Italian food.
My final three choices for development were the vespa, the column, and the apron. The vespa
was a favorite early on by both myself and my classmates. I liked that there was a subliminal
nod to the Italian heritage without being too in your face. I also liked the idea that the “Mama
Maria” character I had invented would be a little old lady riding a vespa. I also liked the idea
of the column because it was very cute and would be easy to incorporate into designs. Lastly,
I liked the apron for the feelings of family and comfort that it invoked.
5. FINAL 3
To continue the development of the apron, I decided
to make the apron a solid color with sections of detail
that would either be transparent or white in the
design. From the original I adjusted the proportions of
the apron, making it more curved like an actual apron
rather than squared off at the top and bottom edges.
Additionally, I adjusted the positioning of the pockets
and the decorative edges to seem more realistic.
In this design, I maintained
the majority of the original
design while adjusting some
of the proportions. This
included making sure that
the edges were curved to
match the overal style of the
vespa. I also started to make
the negative space more
even on all of the aspects
where it came in on the
design. This version is far less
detailed and was ultimately
more successful than the one
above.
In this variation of the vespa,
I wanted to play with nega-
tive space to create some of
the details seen on real
vespas including the foot
pedal, the handle, and the
front grate. While I liked
including more detail, it was
ultimately too distracting to
include all of the seperate
details of the vespa.
6. FINAL
The final symbol chosen to represent the
Mama Maria’s brand was the vespa. While
other designs were successful in portraying
the Italian style, and others still were well
drawn, none fully encapsulated the desired
identity like the vespa did. It was playful
and helped to perpetauted the culture of
Italy without being cheesy or tacky. At the
same time, the idea of grandma Maria riding
the vespa was fun and helped to further the
brand identity.
The style of the vespa also helped to
emphasize the brand attributes of comfort,
tradition and family. The curved edges and
irregularity purposefully make the symbol
feel handdrawn. Some aspects of detail were
added to elevate the design slightly, which
incldued the foot petal and some grates both
on the upper stem of the vespa and above
the back wheel.
7. Mama Maria’s
Mama Maria’s
Mama Maria’s
Mama Marias
Mama Marias
Mama Marias
Mama Marias
Mama Marias
Mama Marias
Mama Marias
Mama Marias
Mama Marias
Mama Marias
Mama Marias
Mama Marias
Måmå Mårïåß
Adding a logotype became a
tricky balance between tra-
ditional and elegant without
being unreadable and tacky.
When researching fonts, I
looked for both clean and
bold sans serifs and decora-
tive scripts. Both seemed to
lack the hand-drawn style I
had created with the symbol,
so I decided to draw my own.
This was a difficult task, as
the logotype needed to be
clean and readable as well
as adaquately represent the
brand identity.
LOGOTYPE FINISHED LOGOS
The final logotype variations included two varations of my hand drawn type, one on a straight
line, and one on a curve. I wanted to see how the symbol and the logotype interacted in both
ways to see which fit best with the identity. I also included a third deign without a hand
drawn type to see if I should go with an actual typeface. Ultimately, I liked that the hand-
drawn type was original and matched the style of the vespa.
8. F I N A L
The final logotype design, as stated before, is an original de-
sign that combined components of fonts that I thought prop-
erly matched the syle of the logo. I wanted the font to look
like something that anyone could have drawn, almost as it if it
was Mama Maria’s signature. For this reason, the letters aren’t
the same. For example, all of the “a’s” are the same style, but
not the same proportions, positioning, or size. Similarily, the
capitalized M’s are different. The first “M” is slightly larger and
contains a flourish to add emphasis to the beginning of the
logotype. This is also to balance against the flourish on the
“s” and the added element of the vespa when used along with
the logotype. I also decided to not use this font on the curve
as it was a complex font to base on a curve and I also got
better reviews on the simplicity of the design on a straight
baseline.
This logotype would be used for all major uses and purpos-
es for the restaurant. This would include all signs, menus,
business cards, uniforms, advertisements, social media, and
more. The purpose of the logo and logotype is to be easily
applicable and comprehendable in various mediums, scopes,
and sizes. Because the font is tall rather than condensed, it
is more easily read and understood. When adding the vespa
to the design at the very end of this process, it was decided
that the vespa was better used when reversed from the orig-
inal design to look like it is driving away from the logotype.
The flourish on the first M draws the eye in and the vespa
pointing away from the logotype helps to effectively draw the
eye back out.
12. OUR STORY
BRAND POSITION:
Mama Maria’s promises to provide fresh, authentic Italian cuisine to
the whole family in a comfortable, welcoming
environment.
BRAND ATTRIBUTES:
We as a family, make authentic Italian food as we have for generations
for your family. Our family-owned and
operated business is committed to providing quality service and food
to you and your family. As always, we want to make you feel as at
home as possible.
BRAND PROMISE:
Dalla famiglia, per la famiglia (by family, for family)
CORE VALUES:
We value comfort, service, quality, and authenticity.
BRAND ETHOS O5
Mama Maria’s was created in 1932 by Mario
Giovanni and his loving wife Maria. The couple had
four children and ran the restaurant for 7 years
before Mario passed away. Maria kept his memory
alive and continued to operate the restaurant with
her children for 57 years before her passing in 1978.
Today, the restaurant is run by Maria’s children and
grandchildren and her legacy lives on. Mama
Maria’s will continue on as a family owned
companythat always keeps the memory of their
loved ones one alive through their love of cooking.
13. TYPE
RACHEL LEMIRE - HAND DRAWN TYPE
FINLAND ROUNDED
EUROPA REGULAR
SECONDARY
SUPPORTING
PRIMARY
The “Mama Maria’s” brand logotype is an original drawn type and is not
part of a full type face. It may be used for any and all print and digital
uses with or without the use of the vespa symbol. The vespa must be
facing away from the type on the right side of the logotype only. The
logotype must not be smaller than 3”x .5” without approval.
SECONDARY
The secondary type, Finland Rounded, is employed in any print or digital
use along with the hand-drawn logotype. This font is to be used for infor-
mational uses such as menus and business cards and must not be used in
type smaller than 12 pt font.
SUPPORTING
The supporting type, Europa Regular, is used in special cases in which the
secondary type is insufficient. This is only to be used when legibility and
readability at an extremely small or large scale becomes an issue and for
the enlarged font menu to provide a font that is less narrow than Finland
Rounded.
O7
14. COLORS
PRIMARY COLORS
The primary colors (pictured left) are for the majority of purposes
for the Mama Maria’s brand. On printed materials, the cream is to
be used as the background color. The red is to be used for accents
or for the symbol and the logotype, but not to be used regularly for
informational text.
SECONDARY COLORS
The secondary colors are employed for special occasions associat-
ed with Mama Maria’s. This includes, but is not limited to specialty
menus, design variations, holiday specials, and more. Gain approval
before using the secondary colors.
O9
PRIMARY COLORS
SECONDARY COLORS
R: 172 G: 62 B: 37
C: 23 M: 37 Y: 100 K: 15
HEX #ac3e25
PANTONE: 7599 C
R: 70 G: 21 B: 18
C: 43 M: 86 Y: 80 K: 68
HEX #461512
PANTONE: 2449 CP
R: 234 G: 203 B: 143
C: 8 M: 18 Y: 49 K: 0
HEX #eacb8f
PANTONE: P 10-11 U
R: 120 G: 103 B: 60
C: 47 M: 49 Y: 84 K: 25
HEX #78673c
PANTONE: 18-0825 TCX
R: 250 G: 239 B: 218
C: 2 M: 4 Y: 15 K: 0
HEX #faefda
PANTONE: 9224 U
15. L O G O 11
Each logo variation has the potential
ability to be used in a number of differ-
ent ways. The logotype on its own is to
be used in instances in which the brand
name is needed but there is a lack of
room. In cases such as this, omit the ves-
pa at the end of the logotype. The vespa
and the logotype together is the most
universal version of the logo. This is to be
used on most print and digital items to
perpetuate the brand name and should
be featured most often at the top of the
design.
The vespas can be used as isolated items
for promotion in cases in which the brand
name is already known. For example, em-
ployee’s uniforms can contain the vespa
without the use of the logotype. They can
also be applied to items for sale in our
store such as our hats, aprons, t-shirts,
stickers and more. The use of the official
Red (see color palettes) can be employed
when readability is not an issue after
propoer approval is given.
16. P R I N T
Print materials can vary in size and scope as well as purpose. The main source of
print materials for Mama Maria’s will be informational. This includes, but is not limited
to, business cards, menus, signs, posters, and banners. All print materials follow the
style guide, as described in previous pages. Please see them for design requirements
and specs.
13
17. L O G O Social media is an ever-evolving part of our
brand. In recent years, we have started reaching
out to a broader audience, which includes those
that frequent social media. For this reason, we
have acquired a Facebook and Instagram for
business inquiries and to promote the Mama
Maria’s brand. Our social media includes food
items from our restaurant only, and are taken by
you, our graphic designer (and photographer).
Please be sure to touch up the photos before
posting to ensure quality. For any questions
about deals or food that you are promoting via
our social media, feel free to ask the manager
on duty. For ideas regarding changing our social
media profiles, please revist the style guide to
ensure that the changes properly reflect the
brand identity.
15
The logo, as stated before, can be used
in a variety of ways, and should be em-
ployed properly for both advertisement
and sales. This can include items sold in
our store like hats, aprons, t-shirts and
more and can also include items that
advertise our store like social media icons
and banners. Please be sure to follow the
style guide to ensure propoer use and
specs for consistency purposes!
