Layla & Ringo’s | Fast Casual Brand Identity
It started with two friends and two dogs.
Layla & Ringo’s was built around something deceptively simple: a neighborhood sandwich shop with real personality. The concept drew from the nostalgia and familiarity of classic East Coast delis, filtered through a distinctly Chicago point of view — warmer, more playful, more character-driven, and intentionally less polished than the overly designed fast-casual brands crowding the market.
The founders came to HiFi looking for a hospitality identity system that could feel instantly recognizable and emotionally memorable without relying on trends or forced nostalgia. The challenge wasn’t inventing a fictional brand world. It was creating a place that already felt like it had existed for years — somewhere with regulars, inside jokes, favorite orders, and personality baked into every touchpoint.
-
Strategy
Positioning
Branding
Tone of Voice
Copywriting
Menu Design
Packaging & Label Design
Interior / Exterior Signage Design
Environmental Design
Website Design (front end)
Photography Art Direction
Brand Book
Staff Fit
Collateral
-
Launching a multifunctional corner concept—part coffee shop, part convenience store, part community hub—that feels seamless, stylish, and neighborly, not generic or overdone.
The brand needed to balance form and function, inviting people in for a quick stop, a slow coffee, or a casual connection—all without trying too hard.
-
City dwellers crave more than convenience; they’re looking for everyday places that feel like extensions of themselves.
In a city where everyone’s busy and brands blend together, a little personality goes a long way.
The strongest connections are often forged through familiarity and humor.
-
We built an old-school-meets-new-school brand identity inspired by corner delis, Sunday comics, and city life chaos, with Layla & Ringo as your guides.
Our goal was to create a memorable, multifunctional neighborhood brand with soul—crafting every touchpoint to feel a little familiar, a little unexpected, and totally lovable.
-
HiFi Creative Team
Allison Rosenwinkel - Creative Director, Illustration
Paul Demyanovich - Creative Director
Creative Partners
Simi Mahtani - Senior Designer
Stephen Monkemeier - Hand Painted Window Signage
Siren Betty Design - Interiors
Wade Hall - Photography
In a city where everyone’s always on the go and brands blend together, a little personality goes a long way.
Building Personality into the Brand
The character system started with the founders’ actual dogs — one named Layla, the other Ringo — which gave the brand an authentic emotional foundation from the beginning.
Inspired by classic Sunday comics and vintage newspaper illustrations, the dogs were designed to feel expressive, familiar, and slightly imperfect in a way that mirrored the energy of a real neighborhood deli.
Each character was illustrated in everyday human scenarios — grabbing coffee before work, eating lunch in the park, commuting through the city, hanging around the shop — helping the brand feel lived-in instead of manufactured.
That character system ultimately became one of the brand’s strongest differentiators — helping the restaurant feel emotionally recognizable long before guests even took their first bite.
Layla (below) and Ringo (left) became more than just names; they became the lens to express the tone, feeling, and function.
We began by envisioning what their everyday lives would be like… what they would do, where they would go to develop the brand personality.
Reinterpreting the Classic Deli
A huge part of the visual direction came from studying the visual codes that make old-school delis feel timeless in the first place.
The goal wasn’t to make Layla & Ringo’s look vintage. It was to borrow the functional honesty and familiarity of those environments while stripping away the unnecessary clutter.
Typography was intentionally direct and utilitarian. Layout systems stayed clean and highly readable. Environmental graphics leaned toward bold rather than decorative. That balance between nostalgia and restraint became the core tension of the identity. Familiar enough to feel comforting. Sharp enough to still feel current.
We created a space where people wanted stay and be - a periodic return - a true daily third place people can go.
Ready to elevate your restaurant concept?
We work with chefs, owners and operators who need more than a logo refresh. Restaurants live or die by perception, atmosphere, repeat visits, and emotional connection — which means the brand has to work just as hard as the food does.
