SOLE

My client, Cyndi Garavaglia, came to me to develop a full brand identity for her new Chicago-based restaurant, Sole Italian Café. The deliverables included a custom logo, business cards, loyalty cards, menu design, coffee cup and food packaging, aprons, and a large decorative window design placed just outside the restaurant’s kitchen.

Inspired by the meaning of “sole” (Italian for sun), I created a warm, modern brand identity rooted in comfort, craft, and quality. The color palette includes an inviting orange and organic green color to reflect the café’s homemade offerings. For the logo, I incorporated spaghetti and girasole pasta — the latter meaning sunflower, and shaped like the sun — tying directly to the café’s name and message: “A warm touch for the "Sole.”

I used elbow pasta as a visual metaphor for “elbow grease,” representing the owner’s hard work and passion. This motif appears on both the business card and the decorative window to honor the hands-on effort behind the café.

The loyalty card features a clean front and a playful back with a girasole stamp system for each visit. The sunflower-shaped pasta from the logo was also incorporated into one of the coffee cup designs, creating a subtle but cohesive brand connection across touchpoints.

To promote the new identity, I designed three social media posts: one highlighting a new croissant item in Sole’s to-go packaging, another emphasizing freshly brewed coffee using coffee bean visuals, and a third celebrating National Coffee Day with a free drink offer. Each post showcases the warmth and elegance of Sole’s atmosphere while celebrating its modern Italian roots.