Since 2017, La Sovrana has been bringing the freshest of Italian produce to London. The family-run wholesaler, led by brothers Alfonso and Pierpaolo Picaro, sources fruit and vegetables from their own farm in Campania, near the Amalfi Coast, and from a network of trusted growers across Italy.<\/p>\n
La Sovrana\u2019s London operation truly found its stride during the pandemic, as restaurant closures pushed demand for quality ingredients into neighbourhood shops, and many people rediscovered a passion for good food.<\/p>\n
With business flourishing \u2013 and an outpost at New Covent Garden Market cementing their presence \u2013 the team realised their visual identity could no longer carry this growth, and approached London-based Justified Studio<\/a> for a rebrand.<\/p>\n Beyond giving La Sovrana the confidence to move into fresh spaces, the new brand had to convey something deeper \u2013 the intentionality that underpins their trade.<\/p>\n Justified Studio\u2019s identity for La Sovrana<\/p>\n \u201cBeing from England, I\u2019ve grown up knowing I can get a peach or a lemon at any time of year \u2013 you just go to the supermarket and it\u2019s always there, even if it\u2019s all pretty shit, to be honest,\u201d says founder and creative director Joshua Ogden.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat\u2019s interesting about La Sovrana is how deliberate everything is \u2013 the produce is grown for flavour, in season, and you can taste that intention. You never fully know what kind of cucumber you might get, for example, because it depends on the temperature, how it\u2019s grown, what\u2019s happened that year, and that\u2019s directly tied to the taste. It\u2019s a completely different way of thinking about food than what I grew up with.\u201d<\/p>\n This proved to be fertile conceptual ground for Justified Studio to dig into. In a time when food is often engineered for convenience and efficiency, La Sovrana stands for the opposite \u2013 produce meant to be savoured, grown with patience, purpose, and generations of knowledge.<\/p>\n Justified Studio\u2019s identity for La Sovrana<\/p>\n \u201cThe freshness of our produce doesn\u2019t just come from how quickly it reaches the market; it comes from knowing when to pick it,\u201d says Alfonso Picaro. \u201cThat\u2019s knowledge my family has passed down. My brother can walk through a farm and know which tomatoes are at their peak, which ones have the right colour, the right ripeness \u2013 the perfect moment to harvest.\u201d<\/p>\n Justified Studio wanted the rebrand to capture La Sovrana\u2019s deep-rooted know-how, but without creating something stiff or weighed down by tradition. \u201cWe didn\u2019t want to make it feel like a heritage brand,\u201d says Ogden. \u201cWe wanted something forward-looking, with subtle nods to nostalgia.\u201d<\/p>\n The team also wanted the identity to feel grounded \u2013 a reflection of where La Sovrana\u2019s produce and its knowledge come from. When Picaro invited them to the warehouse, they were instantly drawn to the typography on packaging boxes and sticker labels on fruits \u2013 the everyday graphics of southern Italy.<\/p>\n Pulling on these typographic strands, they crafted a custom wordmark, a thick, curvy serif with a hand-rendered warmth.<\/p>\n The wordmark<\/p>\n The letterforms, deliberately close-knit \u2013 almost fused \u2013 evoke \u201cthe bleeding ink when a label is printed on cardboard,\u201d as Ogden notes. Flourishes on the \u2018S\u2019 and \u2018V\u2019 give the mark presence, allowing it to command attention across market shutters and van liveries.<\/p>\n \u201cWe wanted the wordmark to carry the same sense of trust as a good fruit sticker,\u201d says Ogden. \u201cThose labels have always been a quiet mark of quality, a sign that what\u2019s inside has been chosen with care. The logo needed to feel the same way.\u201d<\/p>\n The bespoke mark was paired with Archivo as the primary typeface \u2013 chosen for its simple, yet impactful and strong weight \u2013 while IBM Plex Serif was handpicked for tagging systems and body copy to ensure clear distinction and hierarchy.<\/p>\n Colour became another vehicle for storytelling. The team combined the vivid hues found in La Sovrana\u2019s produce, and the softer, sun-bleached tones of the Amalfi region, referencing vintage travel posters and the faded palettes of seaside hotels. Together, they evoke a certain Italian-ness, and this was crucial.<\/p>\n Justified Studio\u2019s identity for La Sovrana<\/p>\n \u201cAlfonso\u2019s the only Italian in a very British market,\u201d says Ogden. \u201cSo whenever you see La Sovrana, it needed to feel proudly Italian \u2013 bright, expressive, and full of that freshness and beauty you get from his produce.\u201d<\/p>\n The Amalfi lemon seen in the logo \u2013 La Sovrana\u2019s \u201cmost distinctive product,\u201d as Picaro puts it \u2013 became another stamp of belonging. The photography extends that feeling of familiarity; shot on film, it lends the identity a nostalgic softness, while also providing a flexible system for growth \u2013 a tool that can adapt as the brand scales.<\/p>\n \u201cWe put a strong emphasis on imagery because it will always be central to what La Sovrana does,\u201d says Ogden. \u201cRather than building a system full of graphic elements and shapes, we focused on a powerful logo mark and beautiful imagery, something that could act as an editorial vessel that can take the brand wherever it wants to go next.\u201d<\/p>\n Justified Studio\u2019s identity for La Sovrana
\nJustified Studio\u2019s identity for La Sovrana
\nJustified Studio\u2019s identity for La Sovrana
\nJustified Studio\u2019s identity for La Sovrana<\/p>\n