Mangia bene…

Melo’s is a favorite in the East Bay — family owned and operated. Their pizza is worth a trek, and their following is loyal. When an old friend contacted me, saying that they were opening a new location with a brand new concept to go with it, I was instantly on board. Collaborating with this tight-knit family by giving a face — type, voice, color — to their life's work was (cliché as it sounds) a great honor.

How would the mark work? It would have to be used successfully everywhere from signage to registers to print collateral and glassware, and it needed a distinct look and feel: vibrant, appetizing, and slightly off the beaten path — it should look neither like an old-fashioned red-checkered-tablecloth Italian restaurant nor a homogenized “Italian Food” chain.

When it came to the type choice, I wanted something geometric, smacking of Italian futurism, but in a swingy, cursive way. Since I couldn't find it out in the world, I made it. After creating the logo, I expanded it to a font — Finocchio — and I used it throughout the brand.

Using new wave cinema and Vespa mopeds as a jumping off point, we found a color language that we all loved. These are colors that Sophia Loren and Gina Lolobrigida would be wearing on a beach vacation in Sardegna.

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Whether it's on a theatre marquee or street-facing signage, there's nothing like literally seeing your work in lights.

There's even a little market section in the restaurant. And the signage and menus are all in Finocchio.

Visiting Melo’s for their soft opening was an incredible treat, and — trust me — the food is incredible. You should check it out!