New work sent in by Minneapolis-based Periscope:
“Quirky personality. Irreverent attitude. Authentically Italian. Oh. And there’s the homemade food. Buca di Beppo has enjoyed a long-standing tradition of family-style meals served in an atmosphere that puts most family photo albums to shame. The first Buca di Beppo opened its doors in 1993 in the basement of a Minneapolis apartment building. They’ve since grown to 87 locations nationwide. Dishes enjoyed for generations in villages throughout Italy inspire their menu, giving Buca its authentic Italian fare. They continue to innovate and create recipes beyond the traditional style by adding new menu items inspired by Northern and Southern Italian cuisine.
Minneapolis-based Periscope, was asked to design a packaging for Buca’s foray into the packaged goods market. To start, Buca would be introducing their classic marinara sauce and three flavors of Italian gelato. Periscope was excited to extend their knowledge of the brand to packaging.
The design needed to represent Buca’s outrageous brand personality and the authentic Italian taste. Numerous different design concepts were explored, but the concept that won out featured variations on Buca’s signature smashed tomato.
Marinara: Every Italian cook believes their sauce is the best sauce. Buca’s sauce jar needed to convey the same swagger. The jar turns up the volume in the pasta aisle by combining traditional elements with quirky imagery. The design features Buca’s signature smashed tomato, illustrating the wacky, passionate (and sometimes messy) personality of the Buca di Beppo brand. Illustration style, color palette, typography, composition and additional design elements were all carefully considered and chosen to add realism, humor and the infamous Buca aesthetic to the sauce jar.
Gelato: While the smashed tomato was the inspiration for the packaging system concept, new artwork was created for each individual product. The design for the pint-sized container was inspired by an old school, Coney Island ice cream cart. In typical Buca style, the design for the gelato takes the traditional and flips it on its head by splattering a scoop of gelato across the front of the quiet and thoughtful design and splatter gelato across the front, mirroring the smashed tomato imagery.
Each package has individual character, yet the family of packages holds together as a strong system that remains true to Buca di Beppo brand.”
