Mamma Mia

This brand is all about authenticity, honouring the Italian style of cooking, keeping it simple and not convoluted. We wanted to make sure customers could identify the style of fresh, quality food in a fun and approachable way.

Mamma Mia is owned and operated by local Chef Rachel Priestly of Prodigal Daughter. Rachel lived in Italy for 10 years, specialising in Italian food. Rachels beloved three legged dog Mia is never far from her side and is the inspiration behind the name Mamma Mia. Rachel being Mia’s mamma while Mamma Mia is also a very common and well known phrase in Italy.

We illustrated Mia, capturing her gorgeous unique characteristics like her facial markings and the way one ear flops down. We then incorporated Italian food by giving Mia a pasta bow tie. Using farfalle pasta gives us the perfect shape to replace a classic bow tie and bring Italian street food to the forefront in a fun and memorable way.

We took inspiration from traditional Italian signage from retail stores and cafes for the type. The sans serif font features contrasting thicknesses that offer a real flavour of Italy. We supported Mamma Mia with a classic condensed sans serif font, placing Italian Street Food on a gentle curve above and By Prodigal Daughter signing off the logo. 

We choose a classic Italian red colour and partnered that with a deep maroon red. Then to bring in classic Italy we used a supporting green on the food trailer signage. Instead of the traditional green we choose a bright mint green to add feel contemporary and flavourful. This colour combination captures fresh and authentic brand personality traits.

We create a suite of supporting illustrations that are showcased on the food trailer. These illustrations celebrate Italian food, ingredients and iconic objects like the Vespa, the Bambino car, Leaning Tower of Pisa and the Statue of David. We wanted to ensure people could visually see Italy to help convey the type of food on offer.  The food is showcased through various types of pasta, garlic, olives, lemon, basil, tomato, cheese and cured meats. We wanted to illustrate these in an authentic way, using line work that created  reasonably realistic illustrations that not only feel cohesive with the Mia icon but also pay respect and honour the simple, fresh ingredients used in the Italian style of cooking and how Rachel plans on using seasonal ingredients from her own garden. 

On the truck signage we created a pattern of illustrations that feature on both ends of the trailer while we designed the sides, including the servery side to have bold green stripes behind the red brand logo. These green stripes represent traditional green and white striped Italian verandahs but in a modern way. The truck signage, which is a moving billboard is really eye catching and expresses a fresh, fun and approachable brand that offers authentic Italian treats. Buon appetito!