Kelsy Stromski designed these business cards for Fiorella’s Cucina, an Italian restaurant in Newton, Massachusetts.
The client approached Kelsy for the rebranding project of Fiorella’s Cucina since it was approaching its 20 year anniversary and needed an upgrade before expanding and opening more locations.
Speaking of the design process, Kelsy said, “In our very first conversation about the project, we established a few key adjectives to get on the same page.”
“My clients were given a Brand Clarity form before the meeting and from the form, I uncovered 30+ key words they used to describe the brand. So, in our very first meeting we whittled those down.”
The brand name Fiorellas, was taken from the word, Fiore (flower in Italian). In Kelsy’s research, she discovered the story of Flora – the goddess of flowering plants in Roman mythology.
“The more I uncovered about her, the more appropriate and perfect she was as a symbol for Fiorellas.”
“The clients had never heard of this goddess before, but incredibly their grandmother’s name was Flora (I was not aware of this prior to the presentation). Also, their daughter’s name is Bella-Rose.”
“So, this is why when you see the image of Flora we illustrated, you see a rose in her hair and a strong female silhouette,” Kelsy explained.
As for the typography, it was a special classic Italian establishment.
“‘Casual elegance’ were the words that my clients used quite often. It was so important to strike the right balance between the two. Not too casual, but quality and not too elegant yet affordable.”
Explaining more about the colour palette, Kelsy continued, “We categorize brands by season and Fiorella’s was most associated with a spring brand. Sweet delicate blossoms with feminine pastel tones.”
“We wanted the colours to be light, warm and cheerful. Butter is one of those pleasant colours, it has the benefit of adding a sense of happiness without the danger of being garish or obtrusive. It shares cultural meaning with yellow like brightness, optimism, gentleness and is associated with a positive experience.”
“The addition of a bronze foil texture helped to add the right level of elegance, quality and warmth.”
These business cards are not printed yet. According to Kelsy, the cards should have a tactile cotton stock finish for a soft, warm feel.
Designed by Kelsy Stromski at Refinery 43
For Fiorella’s Cucina
