The Situation

Dario’s was a much-loved and popular Italian restaurant in Doncaster in the 1970s and 1980s. Years after its closure many still refer to the building as Dario’s. The Owston Estate Company decided to transform the Owston Lodge back to its former Italian glory. They approached
Visual Group to bring a local 80’s icon into the 21st Century with a complete branding, design, manufacture and installation package.

The Solution

This project offered several creative solutions for both the restaurants interior and exterior. Visual Group started by working with Dario’s to create the brand identity for both Dario’s and Sala Eventi. While the majority of the external signage is powder coated ACM trays with vinyl graphics, the main building sign was made by creating an open faced acrylic built up letter with a flexible neon inlaid in the centre. The interior signage also included flexible neon, but this time fitted into a printed Italian backing image surround by a traditional wooden frame. Finally the interior included some self-adhesive vinyl lettering of Italian quotes fitted to the buildings beams.

The Result