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Pastabasta hero carbonara close up white bowl dark surface golden pasta chees guanciale pepper grinder above

PASTA
BASTA.

BEFORE THE FIRST BITE.

SERVICES

· Brand Identity

· Strategy
· Digital Presence

· Media & Content

THE OPPORTUNITY

Italian ambassador Gianni Bardini and hospitality veteran Pierre Jutras came to us with one idea: Take traditional Italian dishes and bring them to the heart of the city in a way that is accessible to all. The brief was simple. Build the complete brand before the doors open.
​​

Toronto is one of the most diverse places in the world and the restaurants here reflect that. The fast-casual category is crowded. Most brands pick fast and functional or high end and intimidating. PastaBasta needed to hit the sweet spot in-between to stand out. Luxurious but approachable, culturally rooted but built for a modern lifestyle.​

Pastabasta hero - ingredients on dark surface carbonara components laid out on table dry pasta guanciale eggs pepper salt cheese in bowls

THE APPROACH

Through founder workshops and brand discovery we landed on a unique position. 

"Italian" is generic and crowded. "Roman" is a specific, defensible claim. ​From there we built everything else: brand, visual identity, digital infrastructure, and the launch marketing plan. Everything ready to go from day one.

IDENTITY SYSTEM

BUILT FOR A BOWL.
AND A BILLBOARD.

The visual identity draws on old Italian street signage, and classic editorial design.

​Bold enough to read from the street. Refined enough to feel intentional up close.

Pasta basta Primary colours cream semolina roma charcoal grid
Pasta basta colour typography samples on grid wordmark variations and logo symbol
Pasta basta type and ground sample closeup impunction large on sphagetti
Pastabasta Signage Mockup round logo on black sign on brick wall exterior attachment

THE FOOD

MAKE IT DELICIOUS.

The brand leads with the the thing that matters. Real ingredients, no shortcuts.

The photography direction lets food doing the talking.

pasta basta hero carbonara close pasta cheese guanciale white bowl black background
pasta basta ingredient shot close up red surface dry pasta tagliattele
pasta basta ingredient shot close up pepper in bowl red surface macro
pasta basta ingredient closeup macro shot parmagianno reggianno on white plate
Pasta basta ingredient shot closeup guanciale in earthenware bowl on red surface macro

THE WEBSITE

FROM IDEA TO ONLINE.

The brand carried into a live site, fully connected to SEO suite. Desktop and mobile, built and shipped.

Pasta basta desktop websie mockup homepage on laptop on table
Pasta basta mobile website mockup homepage on screen in phone frame

THE PROOF

ALL NEWS IS GOOD NEWS.

Publicity and marketing channels are starting to go live and get populated. Socials, PR, and garnering attention to build up anticipation for launch day.

pastabasta blogto article opening writeup of coming soon toronto eat & drink posted 13 days ago

THE SPACE

THE BUILD

The identity was designed to extend into the room itself. A real venue taking shape this year.

Pasta basta site visit construction crew and team inside building discussing plans
pasta basta site visit exterior mirvish village victorian heritage building red brick two story
Pasta basta site visit interior window construction site bar brick walls and wood looking out into the construction and street large bay

OUTCOME

FROM IDEA TO OPENING DAY.

PastaBasta now has a complete brand platform. Positioning, identity, packaging design, a launch plan, and a live site.


Built and ready before the first bowl is served.

​

Opening Soon.

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