Creative Director · Designer
The branding system mirrors the tactile, handmade nature of the handmade pizza – those delicious burnt air bubbles and gooey cheese.
The dove became the perfect vessel for all the ways you can interpret ‘grace’.
The challenge was systematising spontaneity.
We wanted all the familiar clichés to be there, just not in the expected way.
We knew that the team didn’t want Bygones to feel ‘old’ or mean ‘from a bygone era’ but those were the ideas that kept finding their way to the sketchbook.
I remember exactly where I was when the double-handled sword came into the picture – taking the curve on exit 261B where Interstate 65 merges onto Interstate 20.
The Brand Identity features Birmingham-based studio Matey’s rebrand for Pizza Grace, a local pizzeria recently acquired by the founders of Big Spoon Creamery. The new identity balances spontaneity and system through hand-drawn elements, a custom script logotype, and a symbolic pizza dove mark. The tactile, limited-palette design reflects the restaurant’s craft-driven ethos and neighborhood warmth.
Matey developed a refined, contemporary brand identity for Bygones, a historic cocktail bar in Birmingham, Alabama. The design centers on a double-handled cocktail sword forming a 'B' monogram, symbolizing unity and restraint. Combining classic typography, a deep red palette, and handcrafted details, the identity balances heritage with modern sophistication.