2019 Gallery
Winner: Best Identity Design
Studio Hi Ho for Lagotto
1 York Street
Fitzroy North, Victoria
Lagotto offers a European style of hospitality – an early hours-to-late café/eatery/providore/wine bar that local patrons wouldn’t blink at visiting more than once in a day. The branding acknowledges the Italian thread linking the offering, celebrating such a vibrant, joyful culture while steering well away from kitschiness or pastiche.
Jury Citation
The illustrations, artwork and photography employed by Lagotto, an all-day eatery in Melbourne’s Fitzroy North, is both playful and stylish, and gives the customer a sense of the type of hospitality on offer. The venue’s name – which was part of the brief taken on by the identity design team – is in reference to the Lagotto Romagnolo, an Italian breed of waterdog often used to hunt truffles. That reference is reflected in an illustrated dog that acts as the restaurant’s mascot, appearing on coasters, business cards and menus – an unusual but highly effective marketing tool that serves to distinguish the business and give it a sense of warmth and personality. The brand designers worked closely with the interior designers and took inspiration from the venue’s classic Italian feel, and the jury was able to sense that seamless collaboration in the materials submitted.
