Be Friendly worked with Briony to create an inviting, fun brand identity and website to promote Briony’s belief that good taste is for everyone.

Matt (Be Friendly) and Rob (Esto) were sitting in a very on-trend wine bar and were dismayed by how uniformly boring the majority of wine labels are. Minimalism is cool, but after seeing dozens of almost identical small black logos tastefully applied to a subtly off white label, it gets dull. It’s like every designer was applying for a job at Muji.

So, as Esto is want to do, we did something rather different.

Like most people, the founders of what is now called Frankie’s Pasta love pasta. But they don’t love going to outdated and over-priced ristorantes to be treated like s*** by obnoxious wait staff.

Frankie’s mission is to be everyone’s favourite pasta place. Simple.

Be Friendly worked on every aspect of the branding: naming, brand mark, fit-out, packaging, web, social… it’s enough to work up an appetite!

So much so in fact, their mantra is “Elation Through Fermentation”.

Be Friendly worked with founder, brewer, sommelier and self proclaimed yeast fanatic, Marco Bona, to reflect his passion, energy and independent spirit in the branding for Libation Army. We wanted to create a brand that looked like a craft beer, but didn’t look like any other craft beer; something that appeals to a casual beer drinker, while still satisfying the type of craft beer fanatic who can tell you the IBU’s of every Double IPA they’ve ever had off the top of their head, or explain how long you should roast barley to get a really lovely dunkel.

All this writing about beer is making me thirsty…

Years later we’re no longer neighbours but we’re still like minds.

When Treadly launched the first folding bike hire scheme in Australia they engaged Be Friendly to work on the brand identity and strategy; and give the shop’s existing branding a tidy up while we were at it.

Open for just nine nights in early 2017, the bar was not only the first specialist saké bar in our home town of Adelaide, but by far the smallest small bar in the burgeoning small bar scene.

Saké Society’s design ambitions were not to replicate verbatim a Japanese saké bar, but to distill some of the things we love about Japanese hospitality, and of course nihonshu, into a unique experience: a sincere consideration of the guest’s comfort, a respect for the produce, an appreciation of calm space; and above all else – like a skilled tojo (brewer) – a pursuit of clarity.

Interior photography by ASB

Be Friendly worked with the Deans to rebrand their product and turn their two vineyards and 20 years of experience growing grapes into a contemporary wine brand. We worked closely with the family on every facet of the evolution: brand strategy, naming, brand identity, packaging, web design and marketing strategy.

After settling on the name Esto (latin ‘to be’) Be Friendly developed a bravely minimalist label and branding suite, reflecting the brand’s desire to question convention, avoid clichés and present the wine with the utmost honesty and transparency. The working credo remains “no wank”.

Why a tortoise? Well there is a story to that…

After some in-depth research(/eating) to define what was different about Burger Theory’s product, Be Friendly helped business owners Rob and Dan to establish a cohesive design aesthetic and roll it out across their Union Street, Flinders University, Adelaide University and Melbourne locations bringing consistency to the menus, packaging, website, uniforms, signage and interior design. As part of a strategy developed with Rob and Dan to educate customers about the better standard of ingredients used in their burgers and to prove the brand’s belief in transparency, the kitchen was made completely open so punters could watch the entire burger-making process.

This is the third Soonta store Be Friendly has worked on, but the first brand new one. This compact shopfront joins the commercial kitchen / secret base which is the source of Soonta’s power; and serves as the base model and flagship for the expanding business.

With an eye to the future Be Friendly has created an efficient but playful interior which is flexible, scaleable and replicable. The fit out crams a lot into a little (much like a bánh mì), but cleverly manages to avoid clutter, both visual and physical.

From the very beginning of the project we were keen to avoid the clichés of many Vietnamese (or other Asian) ‘street-food’ inspired chains; no cone hats or rickshaws here. Dressing down a brand new space to look ‘street’ is disingenuous, and even disrespectful. Instead we’ve used simple, low cost materials to create a space which is humble, fun and fresh!

Nam asked Be Friendly to create a space that expressed, down to every detail, what he wanted GOODdays to be. The aesthetically efficient venue draws on the busy ramen shops of Japan, making the most of its small floor plate and removing the barriers between owner, chef and customer. A refined material palette of solid walnut and brass exemplifies Nam’s dedication to authenticity and quality, and hopefully encourages people to stick around for a drink or two with their dinner.

This year, the noodle bar finally took form. It’s a small but warm and deep space in Melbourne’s Brunswick where Nam and co. work directly in front of customers, serving up a tight menu of Vietnamese dishes made from ethically sourced ingredients with exacting care. 

It’s been a long time coming, but the first mouthful of pho we had at GOODdays is probably the best we’ve ever have. And the shop looks good too.

As part of their strategy to broaden their market appeal, The Cumby asked Be Friendly to overhaul their branding and roll out the new approach across the menu, uniforms, signage and wayfinding in the venue.

Evolving from branding previously developed by Be Friendly for the client, the established pig icon was retained and updated, the pig’s beverage of choice shifting symbolically from beer to wine. The typography was made leaner and cleaner and a consistent approach through the whole pub achieved a fresh but still unpretentious feel.

The pair engaged Be Friendly to re-imagine their frontage. Applying a bold geometric paint job has turned UR Caffé into a magnet for attention as people approach. The design, conceived by Be Friendly, incorporates elements of Kate and Boyd’s personal tastes and has been showcased in the Adelaide Design Manual as a case study of effective shop front revitalisation. 

Be Friendly extended the new aesthetic inside the café with an illustrated wall and a revamp of the existing branding. The result is a space that reflects the owners’ ever-cheerful character, quirky tastes and the idiosyncratic charm of UR Caffé.

Photography by Jonathan VDK & Be Friendly

Custom typography and an unusually bold (even by our standards) rainbow colour palette creates enormous impact and confidently elevates the brand far above the competition.

From C&P, “Unfold Rundle Mall was developed to re-energise the location as a whole by inviting people to explore and “unfold” the many hidden laneways, cafes, bars, shops, shopping centres, arcades, and hundreds of other discoverable sides of Rundle Mall that now contribute to the vibrancy of the precinct”

There were several key objectives for the re-brand: to improve awareness of ASRC Catering through creating a unique and memorable brand identity, to broaden the customer base by creating a brand identity which appeals to corporate and private functions; and to elevate the perception of ASRC Catering’s product by presenting it as a high quality product on par with the best commercial rivals in the sophisticated Melbourne food scene.

The revised brand identity combines common elements from a variety of global writing systems, and conveys a sense of ethnicity without being specific to anyone region. The colour palette is earthy and foody, warm and inviting – think paprika, okra, cacao – yum!

Be Friendly worked with AHD to create a brand from scratch that sits comfortably in the boutique gin market, but avoids many of the clichés that come with gin packaging (every gin uses botanicals, and we get it already with the drawings of juniper berries!). Sacha is all about the science and craft, and so is the brand.

Bottle Photography by ASB

Clean lines and bare concrete throughout the interior differentiate Rue Saigon from the traditional clutter of a suburban Vietnamese takeaway. Bold black and white furnishings with dramatic green highlights create balance and clarity with a splash of flavour – like a big bowl of phó for your eyes.

And you’re never far from a bottle of Sriracha!

Photography by Jonathan VDK