A fresh slice of brand definition for a cultural icon

When Rudy’s opened its first restaurant in Ancoats, it became an instant hit. People were literally queuing on the street for a table and a slice of the good stuff. But with success comes growth, and with growth came a question: How can the Rudy’s brand continue to rise whilst retaining its independent spirit?

That was the question we had to answer, when developing a new brand articulation and visual identity.

Pizza may seem like a simple thing - but truly world-class Neapolitan pizza is a thing of rare beauty. Amazing ingredients, meticulous craftmanship and an appreciation of proven methods. We needed to get under the skin of Rudy’s in order to fully understand why and how it captured people’s imagination on such an epic scale. We realised quickly their original success was the perfect storm of people, place and perfect pizza.

Rudy’s original independent spirit fuelled its cultural kudos; we wanted to retain and protect that at all costs. It started with a positioning line, ‘Enriching vibrant communities with world-class Neapolitan pizza’. From there, we reinforced brand pillars with an attitude and ethos that reenergised the brand, and a visual identity that paid homage to its authentic roots.

How about Neapolitan pizza through the post? During lockdown, Rudy’s bake-at-home became an instant hit. And when they announced they were bringing it back, for good, we were delighted when they asked us to design the new packaging and delivery box.