Polentoni
Window vinyl illustration
My work with Polentoni, a local Italian Kitchen and Bakery, was memorable for so many reasons.
Designing and illustrating a window vinyl was a new project for me, it was really rewarding to collaborate with a local Edinburgh business, and of course I had to taste test a lot of their menu to make sure I really captured the essence of their food for the final piece!
The brief
The client asked for an illustration to emphasise the wide range and high quality of the ingredients and produce used within the deli and their Italian heritage. The enthusiastic chef ‘Mario’ was to feature, throwing a range of ingredients across the window space, with a touch of magic thrown in too.
The final piece
The initial ‘quick sketch’ I made of Mario during my first meeting with the client was so close to what they had in mind that I was able to use this as the basis for the final image! Sketching live on an iPad alongside clients is a great way to capture in real time what they’re looking for, allowing me to narrow down the brief as we discuss it.
It was great fun to illustrate Polentoni’s products and ingredients, adding playful details such as the small ship to the wave of coffee spilling out from the coffee cup; a reference to the brand mark of the ‘Bontadi Caffe’ coffee sold in the deli. The client used the final illustration across their window space and on their social media pages.
“We needed a distinctive shopfront as more cafes were opening on the street and we needed a competitive edge. We were recommended Graeme, whose decal artwork transformed our shop window and give an artistic and enticing visual of our bakery goods. The brief we gave was quite complex, yet Graeme showed such pleasure in the challenge and fulfilled it more than our expectations. Graeme’s communication was great, and he always worked around our free time.”
— Sarah Pratico, Polentoni Co-owner