Imma

Pastime is a design studio specialising in brand and campaigns, web and digital, print and packaging and signage and styling. We help individuals and organisations across varying industries define who they are, tell their story and connect with their audience. Our process is shaped by strategic thinking and collaboration with our creative network, allowing us to deliver thoughtful and engaging design outcomes.

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Imma (2025)

Imma is a soon-to-open trattoria in North Adelaide, paying homage to Imma, the founder’s mother, and her warm hospitality. The restaurant pairs an intimate setting with traditional Italian meals from head chef, Nick Bergin. We positioned the brand as simply as Imma would, “a small trattoria,” and designed a visual identity that is refined, though warm and nostalgic. This was achieved this through a custom, italicised logotype inspired by calligraphy found on trattoria entrances, and a brandmark representing a ‘lunette’ – an architectural feature of many Italian trattoria entrances.

The brand’s primary yellow colour is a nod to Imma’s vibrant and comforting personality, with the contrasting brown symbolic of the cabinets, tables and furniture in her kitchen. We utilised a condensed version of ‘Schoolbook’ as the primary typeface, which is used for the brand’s header and footer on print material including restaurant cards and menus. These elements extend to the website and social identity, creating an understated, inviting feel on digital material.

To engage people towards the restaurant, we designed a blade sign inspired by vertical ‘trattoria’ signs seen throughout Italian towns. We used the brand’s primary typeface to form the letters with the help of Good Sign Co’s fabrication.

More coming soon.

Services:

Strategy & Positioning

Naming

Tone of Voice

Narrative & Copywriting

Creative Direction

Visual Identity

Art Direction

Partners & Credits:

Big Roar: Logotype

TOTLD Design: Animation

Andrea De Santis: Illustrations

Jack Fenby: Photography

UGLY. Creative: Videography

Jianna Caporaso: Interior Styling

DesignThink: Interior Architecture & Design

I&A Projects: Build

Good Sign Co: Signage

Think Print Group: Signage

Signarama Adelaide CBD: Signage

Mercato (2025)

For over 50 years, Mercato had been an Italian grocer offering a solution to the local migrant community, though with their relocation from Campbelltown to North Adelaide in 2025 came a renewed purpose, and we were approached to help communicate this.

We started by stepping back and analysing how Mercato had evolved and define what it was becoming. Quickly it became clear that the business had grown beyond being just a grocer, into an advocate and demonstration of the way that Italians eat, drink and live. We centred the brand strategy and design around the idea of ‘the Italian way’ and made sure that all visual and written elements were proud, direct, joyful and passionate.

Key to this was reimagining and reintroducing the ‘Mercato Man’ brandmark, which was the brand’s defining element throughout the mid 2000’s until their 50th year anniversary in 2022. We modernised the mark for digital use and positioned this as the brand’s main identifier alongside its existing logotype. These elements are paired with a primary typeface inspired by Italian shopfront signage, Mercato’s signature green, brand pillar/category icons, and a witty tone of voice used across print and social material.