The Bernardi’s concept was developed through careful understanding of the rich family history that brought this company to its fruition. As the conceptual designer I met with partner-couple Joe and Abi. Joe Bernardi has seen the growth and operation of the business since he was born. Abi, originally from London, understands the integral path between strong branding and customer loyalty. Through much hard work the business has had a very strong operational grounding. As designers we wanted to maintain this side of the business and our job was to create a unique identity that was driven by the European farmer’s market feel it originally came from.

Our communications team developed the logo, branding and sub branding. The inspiration here was colour-ways directly depicted from everyday grocery purchases. A lot of materials and brand collateral took reference from market delivery items such as plywood and stamps on plywood boxes. We reflected back to the days of milk bottle deliveries and used this bottle cap as a driving element to the Bernardi’s logo. The most important aspect for the interiors was to create a unique destination for each area of the supermarket.

Fresh produce- An open farmers market/ piazza with hanging timber trusses.

Deli- A warm dark slate material to offset the red and yellow hues of the product.

Seafood – Fresh, cool blue which naturally sits well with the peach colours of the fish.

Bakery- Warm browns and soft hessian fabric, which give further warmth to the bread already being baked on site.

Overall the Bernardi’s supermarket at Forbes in NSW has all the warm and welcoming feelings you look for when visiting your local butcher/grocer, the only difference is a lot more choice and product availability, and a rich family history.