Vrints-Kolsteren rebrands Napoli on the Road as NotR, drawing on transport and industry

Antwerp-based studio Vrints-Kolsteren has developed a new identity for Napoli on the Road, a London pizza restaurant that evolved from a food truck into an award-winning establishment with three outposts. The rebrand, which reduces the name to 'NotR', draws on transport, shipping, and industry references such as stamps, labels, and codes to convey a sense of motion and transformation. Co-founders Vincent Vrints and Naomi Kolsteren explain that the spacing between letters in 'NotR' subtly references the removed letters, preserving the brand's history. The identity avoids typical Italian restaurant tropes like obvious colors, illustrations, and scripts, instead using monospaced typefaces and stamp-like applications to evoke the functional world of logistics. These elements extend to print materials including menus, packaging, and uniforms, with the pizza box designed to have its own graphic presence. The studio aimed for a minimal, confident, and contemporary result that can extend beyond hospitality into fashion, music, art, and culture, reflecting the brand's broader ambitions. The project is featured on It's Nice That, with an article by Marigold Warner, a British-Japanese writer based in Tokyo.