Wedge’s eclectic, legacy-infused identity system for Brami captures the joy of Italian cuisine

Californian brand Brami was established to demolish the association of Italian food with ‘cheat days’ or unhealthy over-indulgence, instead, turning towards the lupini super-bean and semolina flour pasta as their hero foodstuffs – championing their high-protein, low-carb contents. Trading the two, alongside a plethora of other goods, Brami’s offering serves the modern consumer, tackling both the public concern with health and wellbeing, as well as culture’s obsession with dieting. 

Looking to combine their contemporary intentions with the legacy of traditional Italian cuisine, Brami turned to Montreal-based creative studio Wedge for a strong visual identity and packaging system. Successfully marrying the two, the resulting brand – which is set to be stocked in a wide range of supermarkets, such as Costco and Whole Foods – visually represents the authenticity of Brami’s goods, as well as the joy of Italian food, both in the kitchen and on the plate. 

Beginning with the playful wordmark that sits at the heart of the identity, Design Lead Capucine Labarthe and Design Director and Founder Justin Lortie tell us of the historical references behind their custom lettering. “It is inspired by the Highgate typeface meets classic Roman engraved letters you’d find on ancient architecture,” they recall, as well as “vernacular signs spotted across Italy;” noting the sharp serifs associated with stone lettering. “Although very sharp, the letters are humanistic and warm,” Lortie and Labarthe explain, “since Brami’s heart is in Italy, design research of its visual history played a big role in our process to land on an authentic signature,” culminating in a kind, thoughtful and striking wordmark that captures the soul of what Brami offer, and why they offer it.

Supporting the sturdy bespoke lettering is a collection of typefaces as eclectic as the goods themselves, inspired by vintage Italian signage and packaging; featuring Commercial Type’s Marr Sans, Quimby Gubernatorial by Chank Diesel, Saint Regus by Sonar Hubermann and Linotype’s Neue Haas Grotesk. “Brami is a flavourful, playful, soulful world!” Lortie and Labarthe explain, with each typeface offering a distinct tone and service. “We chose a multitude of fonts, for a fun and more complex system,” they add, accommodating the variety of products and messaging across the brand, “from more technical info to more inspiring!” 

Bringing together Brami’s powerful typographic collection in the pragmatic, yet equally playful, use of colour, opting for bright yellow as the brand’s primary colour to encapsulate the optimism and levity of the cuisine, as well as representing the sun, and with it the notion of growth and nurture. “We felt it was a natural colour to own on the shelf,” Lortie and Labarthe recall, “as we expanded to different product lines,” they add, “the duotone inspired by the product flavour is a simple way to differentiate products and communicate taste.”

Wedge

Brami