Pizza Express’ logotype was first designed in 1967 by Italian designer Enzo Apicella and has been used by the brand for over five decades. It now has a more dominant place on the brand’s new at-home pack designs, which have been given a cleaner, more refined look by Brandon.

“We looked back into the Pizza Express archive to help us move the brand forward, unleashing its creative flair from its jazz and art history,” says Joe Bembridge, design director at Brandon. “We simplified and amplified the iconic filigree mark, the brand’s strongest distinctive brand asset, then simply unified it across the product portfolio as part of a wider masterbrand strategy.”

Brandon has also refreshed the Pizza Express product portfolio, developing three range tiers under the wider masterbrand identity, including ‘The Icons’ (American, Margherita, Sloppy Guiseppe), ‘The Restaurant Favourites’ (La Reine, American Hot, Hawaiian, Margherita Formaggi, Pollo American, Pollo Ad Astra), and the ‘Sicilianas’ (Pesto Margherita; Mozzarella Nduja & Chilli; Ham, Garlic Mushrooms & Mascarpone).

Each range is given a different use of colour, with the restaurant favourites also featuring hand-painted illustrations by artist Emily Simpson.

The agency also asked lettering artist Dan Forster to leverage the shapes of the filigree in an update of the typography. “The aim was to improve legibility on pack, and secondly, to echo cues from the iconic main brand marque, to create a more distinctive and ownable type style,” says Forster.

“A range of approaches were explored to find just the right balance of characteristics. The type was developed in a similar process to typeface design, with further adjustments made to individual characters to add more personality while also accommodating specific pack formats.”

The new brand identity appears across pizzas, pizza sauces, pizza dough, dough balls and salad dressings from this month.

Credits:
Agency: Brandon
Creative Director: Jonathan Rogers
Design Director: Joe Bembridge
Senior Designer: Lilly Parr
3D & Motion Design: Stuart Humphrey