Breakthrough from Breadstall in new brand identity from Without

Breadstall to open first site in Soho after Without’s repositioning of pizza makers to pizza bakers

How do you go from single site retail into one of London’s most crowded sectors? Challenged by Honest Burgers co-founder Dorian Waite and baker Sebastian Vince to turn their pizza van into a brand, Without identified Breadstall’s difference with a new identity that repositions them from pizza makers to pizza bakers, helping to roll out a new wave of British pizza restaurants to the high street.

Queues have been forming since 2008 for Breadstall’s twice-baked, slow-fermented biga dough, where temperature matters. From lunch until late, locals gather at the van on Northcote Road, south-west London, over light crusts from a baker’s dough. But to replicate the vibe of the van in a central London rollout, Breadstall needed a brand that could compete in the crowded Quick Service Restaurant (QSR) sector. Working closely with the founders, Without identified Breadstall’s difference to develop an identity built on the unique story of bread baking and a baker’s technical know-how.

In a sector saturated with trippy pizza dudes, US east coast nostalgia and recreations of Napoli, Without helped to recreate the open, welcoming feel of a bakery to Breadstall’s first city centre site on Berwick St, inspiring growth by breathing new life into the tired, screen-driven QSR sector.

Without has successfully turned Breadstall from pizza makers into pizza bakers, with a visual identity that uses the language of flour mills, bakeries and craft. A new, “biga” logo is bold, confident and straight-talking with a monogram to match, while graphics were inspired by the simplicity of the product itself and how it is served; by the quarter, half or whole. A single-minded, recognisable colour palette sets Breadstall apart in a sea of stereotyped reds and greens.

Art direction celebrates the joy of the craft of baking, highlighting process, product, people and place, with a tone of voice that is floury, not flowery. Like a working bakery, the Berwick St restaurant will replicate the transparency of the original van, by sharing daily updates of air, flour, dough and water temperatures in a low-fi, but beautiful space, with tiled counters and pops of colour. 

Without created a robust identity system and toolkit – from art direction and tone of voice, to interiors and digital applications – to support teams with restaurant rollout. The first application began with the wrapping of the original Northcote Road van in the new branding, followed by the opening of Breadstall’s first site in Berwick Street in January. Further new sites will be announced in 2025. 

Dorian Waite, Founder of Breadstall, said: “Without gave us the confidence to lean into our difference and go against sector tropes with a brand that reflects our philosophy. See you in Soho and beyond!”

Sebastian Vince, Founder of Breadstall, said: “Like my pizza, Breadstall as a brand was an evolution rather than a preconceived idea. I’ve always known instinctively what I stood for in terms of my craft and attention to the process, but Without helped me to communicate it as a brand.”

Jonathan Jarvis, Design Director at Without, added: “The most satisfying projects are those where the client has a genuinely different proposition that we unearth and bring to life. We turned Breadstall from pizza makers into pizza bakers with a refreshing visual identity and brand language that celebrates their unique story of baking, in a saturated sector.”

Source: Without

  Brand Identity, Branding, Breadstall, London, Marketing, Soho, UK, Without