2024: Year in Review

This year marked the soft launch of my new branding agency, JONNY, a branding agency dedicated to the hospitality industry. Marking ten years since I began offering creative services to hospitality brands, I’m taking the first steps into building my international branding agency founded on my hospitality values, strategic approach and design process.

Join me in looking back at some projects completed in 2024, from a bear-themed brasserie in Aosta, Ibiza vibes in the Caribbean and a blooming Roman trattoria to designing an online home for an Umbrian goat farm and transforming one of Rome’s favorite nighttime haunts into the city’s newest brunch house.

BRAND DESIGN & STRATEGY

New Brands in the Wild

Little brings me more joy than breathing life into a new concept by designing a complete visual identity and brand strategy. This year I had the pleasure of unleashing three new concepts into the wild: a luxury villa community in Turks & Caicos that’s a haven for boat lovers; a modern Roman eatery just steps away from the Spanish Steps; and a bold Roman-brasserie concept at the foot of the Italian Alps.

Idyll East

A small slice of paradise on the leeward coast of Providenciales, Idyll East is a low density villa community where every home features sweeping water views, spacious indoor/outdoor spaces and it’s own private boat dock. The brand’s promise for “unfussy luxury” is represented by a humble, dwarf-style palmetto, an elegant serif font and saturated pink and blue hues.

da Mariolino

Down the street from one of the world’s most famous public staircases, da Mariolino is a modern Roman eatery serving revisited family recipes for lunch and dinner. The name is an ode to Mario de’ Fiori, a baroque painter for whom the street is named. At the center of the brand identity is a stylized blooming artichoke, a symbol that brings together art, food and flowers.

S’ORSO

Four friends – two Romans and two Aostani – got together to open, S’ORSO, a brew pub in the heart of Aosta to be the newest hangout for locals and travelers alike. The name, a play on the Italian term for “sip” (sorso), Sant’ Orso, the city’s patron saint, and the Italian word for “bear” (orso). Hidden in the bear’s nose is a snifter glass, used for drinking more aromatic brews.

FEATURED PROJECT

Giving Rome Luxury Suites a Collective Feel

Rome Luxury Suites is a collection of four boutique properties, all located in Rome’s Tridente District (an area delineated by Piazza del Popolo, Piazza Augusto Imperatore and Piazza di Spagna.) The collection includes Margutta 19 (5* star hotel), Babuino 181 (4* star hotel), Mario de’ Fiori (4* star hotel) and Margutta 54 (a collection of serviced apartments). Additionally, the company manages a fine dining restaurant, a casual lunch and dinner spot (da Mariolino) and a rooftop terrace that serves aperitivo and light dinner fare.

The collection is managed by Alberto Moncada, a seasoned hotelier and local Roman who grew up on via Margutta. His personal connection to this specific neighborhood in Rome as well as his ties to noble underbelly of the city offers unique access to guests staying at any of the properties in the Rome Luxury Suites collection.

Over time as new hotels were added, the branding of the properties became more disparate and less connected. I was tasked to redesign the hotel logos so there was cohesion between them, produce a brand book establishing guidelines for future brand assets and roll out the new brands in signage and in-room materials.

photos and video by Red Rebel Agency

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WEBSITE DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS

Carving New Corners in the Internet

Kicking the year off, I launched Idyll East, a luxury villa community in Providenciales, Turks & Caicos that I also had the pleasure of naming and branding. In fact, I launched three websites for developments in the Turks & Caicos in 2024: Ambergris Cay, a private island resort off the southern coast of Providenciales, and M-House by Beach Enclave, a new development of nine spacious villas designed by Ibiza-based Blakstad Architects.

Far from the turquoise waters of the Caribbean, last spring I headed to the verdant hills of Umbria for special photoshoot to use on the website for Fattoria Ma’ Falda, a guesthouse, farm and dairy producing some of the finest raw goat cheese. Norwegian sisters Anne Line & Åste, together with Anne Line’s husband Flavio, welcomed me and photographer Paolo for two days as we captured their delightful country escape.

photos by Paolo Fusco

Later in the year I helped layout and design the website for IDEA Hospitality Business Solutions (HBS), a Rome-based hospitality consulting and management firm, and founders of HILI. I have a strong B2B relationship with the founders of IDEA and have provided creative support for many of their hospitality projects. I had the pleasure of working with another partner, Giulia Venanzi, to help her brand and launch Studio Venanzi, a photography studio specialized in hospitality interiors.

One of the largest website developments I’ve undertaken was an overhaul of the layout and content for Rome Luxury Suites, a collection of four boutique properties in the center of Rome. The website was developed by Amadeus (formerly TravelClick), but I liaised between the owners/management of Rome Luxury Suites and the development team. I also directed and curated new brand assets, including brand videos and lifestyle photos.

In the fall I launched the new website for Marzapane, the award-winning restaurant known for its chef table and primal cooking philosophy that transformed into the city’s hottest breakfast and brunch spot.

FEATURED PROJECT

Reconceptualizing Marzapane

Marzapane first opened in 2013 with a fine dining concept and an ambitious chef. Over its 11 year history, the restaurant concept evolved as new chefs took the helm of its kitchen, winning awards with each iteration. Much of the credit goes to the constant visionary behind the brand, owner Mario Sansone, whose fearlessness to shift direction and move full steam ahead has paid off time and time again.

photos by Alessandro Baratelli

videos by Vittorio Bonaffini

I was intrigued and excited when Mario approached me last spring to help him radically transform his restaurant into his latest endeavor. Cut the dinner service, the late nights and the tasting menu: he wanted to turn Marzapane into a café & bakery, a complete 180 degrees from what it used to be. He was counting on my experience supporting Marigold and Forno Conti, two other formidable breakfast spots in Rome. I was eager to help him navigate the transformation and especially renovate the existing branding to pay homage to its storied past but also embrace the playful, day-time nature of a breakfast place.

The logo architecture remained the same, but we changed the formal black & white color palette to include an orangey-red hue. I created a series of new brand elements that reinforced the concept change – a croissant, a cappuccino and the building’s facade – that we used in merchandise, packaging, in social media and marketing campaigns and at various guest touch points to signal the brand’s new direction.

The new restaurant opened in early fall, coinciding with the city’s return from summer holidays. The reception has been stellar, signaling a big shift in demand for brunch and savory breakfast offerings in Rome. Mario’s intuition and vision paid off again, and I was glad to be a part of it.

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Let’s connect! I’m currently taking on new branding projects. Tell me a little about what you’re up to and let’s see how we can work together.

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Creative Vision for Hospitality Brands.

I bring a practical, creative approach to branding for hospitality businesses. I’m an experienced leader and a trained designer dedicated to empowering owners, developers and managers to deliver world-class hospitality through creativity.