Founded in 2015 and based in the Campania region of Italy, the design and digital agency Idea Studio Creativo always aims to create unique stories for their clients. The studio’s anchovy pesto packaging for Ligurian restaurant Machettö is no exception.
The fine-dining restaurant in Pietra Ligure was founded by chef Giuseppe Auricchio, who has always had a vision of creating his own products when he opened the eatery. The pesto is handmade in the traditional fashion using a pestle and mortar. When asked why he chose this process, Auricchio states, ‘I would never have wanted to represent this land with an industrially processed product, it had to have the voice of the fishermen, the truthfulness of the artisans, the flavor of Liguria.’
Idea Studio Creativo followed suit with a custom approach to packaging this artisanal product. Designer Salvatore Bisogno states, ‘With Machettö’s anchovy pesto we wanted to break the mould a bit. We always felt like that child who didn’t perfectly respect the single file and we wanted to give the project a soul: ours and that of the client.’
The agency created the ‘Talking Machettö’ which is a lively origami game that’s included inside the packaging, which creates interaction with the user. Bisogno says, ‘Origami has a double function, that of creating depth inside the pack, and a playful function which serves to spark conversations around the stove or to entertain children while preparing dishes.’
When asked about the Arena Smooth paper selection for the packaging Bisogno commented that it was the type of paper needed for an ‘extremely natural result’, and one that ‘respects the environment, being biodegradable and recyclable.’