Landor’s identity for Imperia launches the ‘nonna’s brand’ into an experimental, flavourful future

Imperia’s refreshed logo – hot off the heels of a rebrand – has been turned into a pasta rolling machine, whipping out perfect ribbons of fettuccine and tagliatelle. This is the clever work of Landor Milano, who took up the task of reimagining the look and feel of Imperia, which has been making the best pasta machines in the business. To chart a visual direction for the legacy company with a 90-year-long history, the studio, quite naturally, had to look back at its past. “Imperia is a brand rooted in the history of our country,” Alessio Galdi, Design Director of Landor Milano tells us. For Galdi and his team, the task at hand was complex – the rebrand had to take notes from Imperia’s history, but at the same time, it also had to appeal “to the new, no longer just Italian image of Imperia,” he adds.

To stay in conversation with the brand’s storied legacy, the studio pulled out certain elements from its identity’s history, such as the oblong background shape, created in the ’60s. Shedding its 3D, drop-shadowed look, the crisp shape now centres the identity, and when seen in motion, “rolls over” to reveal the wordmark. “We also reintroduced the use of extended typography, commonly found in advertising pieces from the ’40s onwards, but made it contemporary and functional,” adds Galdi.

All of this typography is set in Sfoglia Grotesk, custom-designed for the project. Taking off from the concept of ‘Sfoglie’ pasta sheets, the team created “dedicated ligatures, adding distinctive character and an ownable flavour to the brand’s typography,” says Senior Designer Gianluca Ciancaglini. Look closely and you’ll spot the finessing – the plump teardrop detail of the ‘r,’ the sharp ink traps, and the soft terminals redolent of the edges of freshly rolled pasta sheets.

To bring together all the elements – including a colour palette as rich as a plate of lasagna – Landor created animated 3D sculptures, drawing inspiration from designer Bruno Munari’s ‘Useless Machines.’ “Munari said that any cookery book is a book of design methodology. Therefore the kitchen is a place of experimentation, of invention,” says Galdi. “We always like to take inspiration from art and Italian design, and we thought it would be interesting to liberate abstract forms and reinterpret the Imperia pasta machine, creating a visual world that illustrates the strategic positioning of the ‘genius of form and substance’.”

Featuring silky ribbons of pasta and squidgy dough being pressed and rolled, the animations – with the 3D sculptures integrated into the 2D motion system by Motion Design Director Salvatore Illeggittimo – go a long way in breathing new life into the brand and pushing it into its future. “The redefined identity of Imperia marks the dawn of a dynamic era for the brand, particularly in its pursuit of creativity and experimentation. By targeting younger demographics, Imperia is revitalising the traditional notion of pasta-making, shedding the stereotype of being solely associated with past generations,” Client Manager Adriana Testaverde explains. “In doing so, Imperia transcends its previous image as a tool of nostalgia, paving the way for fresh perspectives and unexpected culinary journeys.”