A branding project created from the ground up, where strategy, naming, and visual identity came together to turn a simple market opportunity into a distinctive local brand. Inspired by La Dolce Vita, the project balances business thinking with optimism, personality, and memorable design.
Okiali Neri pizza delivery service
Year.
2022
Category.
Brand Strategy
Client.
McNf / Okiali Neri
The Client
Fredericka spent more than a decade leading Marketing & Communications for a major French company before deciding to take a different path. During the pandemic, she identified a simple but compelling market gap: her small town had no local food delivery service.
Combining her business background with a lifelong passion for cooking, she decided to launch her own pizza delivery brand from scratch. I was brought in to create its name, brand strategy, visual identity, and communication ecosystem.
The Challenge
The business didn't exist yet-not even the kitchen had been built.
Everything had to be imagined from the ground up: the positioning, the personality, the naming, and an identity capable of making a new local business instantly memorable. Beyond selling pizzas, the brand needed to express optimism, authenticity, and the pleasure of sharing good food while standing out from the predictable visual language of traditional takeaways.
The Strategy
The concept drew inspiration from La Dolce Vita: sunshine, spontaneity, and the simple joy of living.
The name Okiali Neri, inspired by the Italian Occhiali Neri ("Black Sunglasses"), came naturally from Fredericka's signature habit of wearing sunglasses on top of her head. That small personal detail became the foundation of the brand's personality.
The visual identity embraces bold typography, vibrant colours, and playful storytelling to create an approachable, optimistic brand that feels as warm and authentic as the food itself.
The Outcome
Okiali Neri launched with a distinctive identity that immediately differentiated it from conventional pizza delivery brands.
More than a logo, the project became the visual expression of a life-changing entrepreneurial journey-transforming a simple business idea into a memorable local brand built around optimism, craftsmanship, and human connection.
It also represents one of the most demanding branding projects I've worked on: designing without an existing business to support the strategy. Every creative decision had a direct impact on the future of the company, making branding not just an exercise in aesthetics, but a genuine business tool.
Expertise
Brand Strategy · Naming · Brand Identity · Visual Identity · Typography · Editorial Design · Motion Design · Packaging · Signage · Web Design
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