Pearlfisher Makes the Best out of a Tiny Pizza Box

Founded in 1999, Italian restaurant Zizzi had plenty of time to mark itself as a trustful brand when it comes to tasty and healthy food. 140 restaurants later, the chain succeeded to show not only its commitment to deliver top-quality products in a pleasant environment, but also established itself as a landmark in the high street food scene. However, limited by existing food packaging, the company could not honor its customers with all the delicious dishes that are part of its culinary portfolio.

To improve its takeaway service, Zizzi looked for an ingenious solution of sharing food more easily. But in order to achieve this, the restaurant required some extra help from a team of experts in creativity, imagination, and innovation.

Zizzi package design by Pearlfisher | Click to enlarge

This is the moment when Pealrfisher’s 3D and graphic design ‘chefs’ entered the scene, spicing up the restaurant’s delivery service. The idea of the independent creative agency doesn’t change any of Zizzi’s recipes, but on the contrary, it seasons the dishes with bold visual “garnish” and multifunctional packaging that would champion the “social night in,” claims the consultancy.

The new packaging rage is dedicated to the restaurant’s takeaway service and was designed keeping the one-size-fits-all concept in mind. This means that all packages were produced to fit inside the delivery bags used by Deliveroo’s drivers.

To complement Zizzi’s exquisite dishes, the artists developed eight complete sets which include a re-formulated ‘classics’ pizza box, a deep ‘rustica’ pizza box, a side box, a tub, a plate, a bread bag, a retail bag, and a sticker set, successfully carrying out the restaurant’s mission to improve on the take-out box space.

Speaking of the project, Mike Beauchamp, Pearlfisher’s Associate Creative Director for 3D and Experiential, said: “We designed each element of Zizzi’s takeaway packaging with both modularity and multiple usages in mind. Pizza boxes become sharing platters and side containers fold out into mini-tables.”

The new design takes the best out of a dine-in menu for takeaway, with the artists having calculated the dimensions and appearance of each box so well that the result evokes the feeling of a real Zizzi table, without compromising the restaurant experience or the taste and appearance of each dish.

The main focus falls on the “double-deckered” pizza box that compresses the restaurant’s signature pizza, Rustica, in a box that almost magically splits into two levels. The fresh packaging is designed not only for people but also for the environment. So, to highlight Zizzi’s concern for nature, Pearlfisher developed a series of eco-friendly packaging: a versatile side box, suitable for starters, sharers, and desserts, and a microwavable, freezable, and recyclable plate with a look inspired by the crockery used in the restaurant. All cardboards feature a die-cut Zizzi logo strongly visible when the box is closed.

In addition to these items, the team cooked up unique retail bags with designs that mirror the aesthetics adopted by the restaurant’s locations. To keep the culinary journey as vivid as possible, the London-based agency produced a series of brightly colored stickers onto which the staff handwrites the name of each dish.

The purpose of this design upgrade was to reinforce the restaurant’s presence among consumers, positioning Zizzi “at the center of an important cultural shift, driving the evolution of takeaway from ‘food in a box’ to a moment of social connection,” said Pearlfisher’s Senior Brand Strategist, Kristoffer Fink Parup. Time to order a pizza, don’t you think?