focuses on healthy ingredients and hearty recipes.
1How did you choose the name?
We wanted to create a name to tell people what services are provided. It should be easily communicated and should be simple both semantically and structurally. First, we listed the brand’s key characteristics, and chose some from the list. “kitaly” combines two characteristics. The “kit” part comes from the “meal kit,” and “Italy” is added. This is a suitable choice of name since this brand provides meal kit services based on Italian cuisine. The naming process also served as the first step of the entire branding process, from visual strategy and graphic system to spatial guidelines.
2How were the visual elements constructed?
We believe kitaly is differentiated from its competitors because of the abundant ingredients. The ingredients in the kitaly products are cut into chunks, making recognizing each ingredient easier. The meal kit products look healthy, and it looks like they have more generous portions. Visual elements amplify this characteristic. We began by using the concise logotype with a humanist sans serif. The logotype shows a harmony of straight lines and curves.
We did not use images from online sources because we wanted to highlight the actual ingredients. We made a genuine effort, got the essential ingredients of the pasta recipes, and sliced them. Then, we inked and stamped the ingredients on a piece of paper. This way, each ingredient’s shape, texture, firmness or softness, and other qualities are translated onto a slice of paper. As a result, we could create a pattern that is impossible with photography or digital image. This process adds another level of authenticity to the brand. Also, the stamped graphic pattern visually represents the nutritious food products from kitaly.
Plus, we wanted to create a more vibrant mood. That is why the overall color palette is filled with colors from the ingredients. The base color palette contains a series of neutral brown colors. These colors serve as a container for other colorful images. On top of that, we have an emphasis color palette; this includes the colors that come from the ingredients, which add vitality and focus to each menu.
3How was the pictographic system created?
Pictograms are based on typographic features of the logotype (such as terminal and curvature). They are present in signage, packaging, online store, etc. In turn, they help the brand to maintain its visual voice at each meeting point with customers.
1. Pointed Contact
2. Curved Silhouette
3. Curvature
4. Angled Tips
4How about the space? What message does the kitaly space convey?
For kitaly, the core value is about offering honest food with healthy ingredients. The same idea can be found in its space. To offer nutritious meals, kitaly has ingredients ready. That is why the overall theme is the “house of ingredients.”
Just like in the branding process, there was no short cut. We strived to add a symbolic significance that this place is where you find a nice meal. That’s why the space resembles a “house.”
At the same time, you can see many surfaces in this place. They are made of different materials, and are the symbols of honest ingredients. This is a metaphor about how kitaly provides honest and healthy food only.
5Compared to other similar places, kitaly has a small space. It must be important to consider practicality of the structural design.
It is smaller than expected, and the space is narrow and long as well. This means we should make the most out of its vertical space. We identified a vertical axis, and decided where to place the façade and furniture. In this space, the overall flow of human traffic will be also in the vertical direction.
In terms of structure, we have a kitchen island bar table. Here, you can eat out alone and enjoy a light meal. Near the window, you can find a round dining table, which can be occupied by up to three people. These seats are for the families who want to visit kitaly. In the center of the place, you can see tables that can be detached from each other according to your needs.
6We want to know more about the overall concept. You mentioned that it is a “house” where you can have nice meals. Can you talk about this concept more specifically?
The kitaly place resembles a house in terms of its structure. When you step inside, you can see a u-shaped space where bricks are laid. The material indicates that this area is the entrance. Following that, you can see the inner façade, which is part of the kitchen design. There is a Bespoke refrigerator, which is part of the inner façade. Of course, kitaly needs a refrigerator, and this built-in refrigerator is a commonly used household appliance. This component also makes the kitchen design more coherent. In front of that, you can see an island bar that extends from the kitchen. The center of this place is a metaphor for a living room. The terrazzo tiles on the floor can remind you of a rug, and the table and the chairs look like living room tables and sofas.
7What about the honest ingredients? You mentioned that different materials are found in this place.
For this house of ingredients, we spent a lot of time thinking about how to include the ingredients in its design. The visual system includes surfaces (or cross sections) from actual ingredients. In the space, there are also surfaces made and prepared in different ways. For the main chair, we used “color laminate” to expose plywood without finishing the side of the chair. The chair shape consists of basic figures, which is a symbol of the honest nature of kitaly. The outside is mostly finished with bricks. These are solid bricks and pattern bricks, which may look like diced and stamped ingredients. Lastly, the pattern from the visual system is present in the main artwork and curtain. This creates the overall atmosphere of a home filled with honest ingredients.
8Let’s talk about the main finishing material. A lot of bricks are in the façade and the interior space. Is there any special significance?
In the house of ingredients, bricks are the main finishing material and there is a special significance. Bricks are solid, and this indicates what kind of ingredients are used here. For kitaly, honest is the most important keyword. Honesty provides the biggest strength for a brand that relies on trust. That’s why we chose solid bricks. The texture of these bricks indicates that kitaly offers meals based on strong trust.
9What was the key consideration (or intention) for the outside façade design?
As you can see, kitaly is around the corner, meaning its façade makes the important first impression of the brand and store. We wanted kitaly to give a strong impression to those who pass by because it is not located in a crowded area. We wanted this place to inspire curiosity in people. Of course, the brand concept has to be expressed in this direction. After some time, we realized that the façade should remind people of a “luxurious villa.” Among many signs in this neighborhood, kitaly can have a more “controlled” design so that it grabs even more attention. In addition, the atmosphere of a home instead of a store is more suitable for the house of ingredients.
10The house of ingredients is a key concept, but it is also crucial to have practicality and usability since people come to kitaly to eat. What was the key consideration from this perspective?
We paid more attention to the self-service bar. At kitaly, everything is self-served. This highlights the importance of practicality, and we should also consider required utensils and tableware. In other words, we should consider the number of SKUs.
We studied various design ideas and developed drafts to meet functional needs and create excellent designs. We wanted the self-service bar to look like the furniture in this house. That is why its storage space is hidden. There is artwork above the storage, making it look like a console for decoration. This area is not entirely closed because people have to know that this is a self-service bar.
On the far-left side, there is an encased napkin case. Below that, you can find the internet cable, modem, and phone, which are not directly visible because they are stored inside.
11Last but not least, what are some hidden details in this space?
In kitaly, all details connected with a frame are finished on a single plane. In other words, the outside floor and the inside floor are even, and the bricks and the frame are on the same plane. In the past, the surface connecting the outside and the inside was not even. Also, the budget was limited for this project. Still, we strived to deliver the best quality possible.
Let me also touch on the details of this curtain. The primary brown color is the background, and the patterns are darker brown. Of course, we could have chosen a different color for a stronger contrast. But we wanted harmony instead of bringing too much attention to the materials. So, we chose a natural tone-on-tone color.
For the chair, we used laminates from Melatone for the front and the back. The side is not finished, showing the properties of plywood. The furniture color is from the key color of the visual system. More specific, the red and orange chairs got inspired by a living room sofa. That explains why there is a fluffy cushion design.
