Business: Restaurant
Location: Toronto

When Yannick Bigourdan, one of Toronto's most celebrated restaurateurs, approached us to be part of the restaurant nearest and dearest to his heart, saying no was never an option.

We have worked with Yannick across many of his most recognised Toronto restaurants, including The Carbon Bar, Amano, Union Chicken, The Berczy, and previously Nota Bene, but this was different.

Lucie is named after his grandmother, a truly inspirational figure in his life and the person who first introduced him to French cuisine growing up in the South of France. It is an homage to her love, dedication, and presence.

Yannick is a perfectionist in the truest sense. Few people understand the essence of hospitality as deeply as he does, and that standard shaped every decision we made together.

We set out to create an identity born to match what Lucie was always meant to become. Elegant, feminine, timeless, and unmistakably French.

Michelin recognition: Within a year of opening, Lucie earned a place in the Michelin Guide as one of Toronto's top recommended restaurants.

Business: Restaurant
Location: Prince Edward County

For years, we'd wanted to work on a project in Prince Edward County, so when the opportunity knocked, we answered without hesitation.

When Chef Hidde Zomer (formerly of Toronto's The Carbon Bar and Nota Bene, and Amsterdam's Restaurant de Kas) and his business partner and wife, Sarah, mentioned they had acquired a property in The County with plans for a concept restaurant, the excitement was immediate.

Since opening, Flame + Smith has fully embraced the local agricultural and culinary community. A sustainably-minded, farm-to-table wood-fire restaurant, it is quickly becoming part of the fabric of County life.

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For the branding, we began with the name. Flame + Smith was chosen to directly reflect the artistry of fire that Chef Zomer wanted at the heart of everything. To honour the region, we built a collage of local flowers, grapes nodding to the County's wine heritage, and agricultural imagery to accompany the wordmark.

The brand came together beautifully. The collateral draws from a vintage painting aesthetic but with a twist, modern references, unexpected combinations, and the occasional left-field idea. As we do.

Now we have a very good reason to leave the city. Even if just for dinner. And a mosquito bite or two.

Business: Restaurant
Location: Toronto

In collaboration with Brandsmith, we created the identity for The Carbon Bar, one of Toronto's most talked-about dining destinations on opening.

We also worked alongside architecture firm Giannone Petricone, who designed the interior of what has since become a Toronto landmark. To honour the building's history as a music venue, we produced a series of art installations using mixing boards and custom-designed gig posters.

Since opening, the relationship has continued to grow. We have created brand and design elements for Carbon's sub-concepts, including GBD Mondays (Golden Brown and Delicious), their industry night food festival, and The Carbon Snack Bar. To mark both launches, we designed a limited edition postcard series.

The work has extended beyond the restaurant itself. We designed labelling for their bottled BBQ sauces and spice rubs, along with merchandise and apparel.

Business: Restaurant
Location: Union Station & Sherway Gardens, Toronto

Union Chicken operates in two of Toronto's most high-traffic locations, Sherway Gardens and Union Station, Canada's busiest building, where it holds the distinction of being the first full-service restaurant in the Station's history.

The brand is built on serious credentials. This organically raised, free-range chicken concept is led by Chef Michael Angeloni, formerly Executive Chef of Grand Electric and Electric Mud, alongside restaurateur Yannick Bigourdan and Adam Teolis. The cooking is precise, creative, and has built a loyal following quickly.

Working with the Union Chicken team was a genuine pleasure. Their professionalism and clear sense of what they wanted made for one of our most rewarding collaborations.

For the identity, we worked across every touchpoint, from the logo and packaging through to plate graphics, uniforms, custom art pieces, and wallpaper. The goal was a recognisable identity that feels modern but carries a classic, timeless quality.

Business: Bakery Concept
Location: Toronto

We created the name and brand system for this forthcoming elevated baked goods boutique. The brief was to capture the warmth and nostalgia of home baking with a modern, refined touch. The name had to look right and sound right.

Bubbameister is a Yiddish word meaning a long story or old wives’ tale, the kind a grandmother would tell. Across many cultures, the grandmother is the keeper of the kitchen, the source of the most comforting food you will ever eat. The name felt immediately right.

Brand strategy sessions established Comfort, Trust, and Quality as the three foundations of the visual landscape. The result is a clean, confident identity built around a bold and recognisable form.

Business: Restaurant
Location: Multiple locations, Canada

Amano arrived as part of Union Station's revitalisation and became an instant hit. Chef Michael Angeloni's concept is built around handmade pasta inspired by Italian tradition but not constrained by it. The old country, reimagined.

For the identity, we looked to the hand as a central motif, one of the most expressive tools in Italian culture and the literal instrument behind every plate. From there, we built a visual language around the idea of putting a twist on the familiar.

Tattoos on nonnas. Stormtrooper helmets. An Italian tandem bicycle crew in impeccable jackets. We fully support this kind of boldness and jumped at every chance to run with it.

Business: Coffee Company
Location: Toronto

From the first meeting with founder Jeffrey Fenton, his passion for coffee as a cultural experience was immediately clear. We understood his vision and wanted to help him bring it to the Toronto community.

The brand's story has a beautiful personal dimension. Jeffrey has fond memories of drinking coffee with his parents over many years, and those moments were the seed for everything. Moment was built as a dedication to that relationship, with two of the blends named after his parents, Arlene and Brian. A third, Jony, was named in admiration of Sir Jony Ive, Apple's former Chief Design Officer and one of the most influential designers of our time.

The coffee is roasted locally, which we loved.

What we loved slightly less is that our creative director Adam Nathan cannot drink coffee without, in his words, going completely insane. He spent the tasting sessions deeply inhaling the bags of freshly roasted beans instead. The rest of us dove straight in. Sometimes you take one for the team.

Business: Cookie Company
Location: Toronto

There are very few briefs that arrive with the same energy as this one. A bespoke cookie startup with a desire for a fresh, considered identity. Honestly, it did not take long to say yes.

Somewhere between the brief and the first brand session, this became a small childhood dream realised. Cookies deserve to be celebrated, and giving this startup the identity to do exactly that was a genuine pleasure from start to finish.

Short and warm without being gushing. What's the brand name? That might open up another line or two.

Business: Farm
Location: Prince Edward County

From the team behind one of Prince Edward County's most cherished restaurants comes another expression of the same thoughtfulness and commitment to the land.

Chef Hidde Zomer and Sarah Zomer have established a garden that supplies both the restaurant and the local community with freshly grown fruits and vegetables. It is a natural extension of everything Flame + Smith stands for, and a deepening of the brand's relationship with sustainable, land-connected living.

When they approached us to create an identity for the Garden, the answer was immediate.

Business: Food Services
Location: Toronto

Union Food is the non-public-facing company responsible for curating, managing, and servicing the food and hospitality businesses operating within Toronto's revitalised Union Station.

For the identity, we drew inspiration from the architectural quatrefoil motifs found throughout the Station's original 1927 design. That detail became the foundation for a mark that speaks to the strength, legacy, and institutional integrity that Union Food's stakeholders hold central to everything they do.

The brand needed to feel consistent at every point of contact. Professionalism and refinement were not just visual goals but a standard that had to carry across all forms of communication, from stationery through to every piece of collateral. Cleanliness and quiet pride in the work were the guiding principles throughout.