Building the strategy and system a beloved indie pizza brand needed to scale.
ClientMaker
TypeRestaurant & CPG
ServicesStrategy, Visual Identity Refresh, Collateral
LocationToronto, Canada
Interior DesignDesignAgency
From the twisted mind of celebrity chef Matty Matheson emerged Maker, an iconoclastic pizza joint in Toronto's Queen West neighbourhood. The premise was simple: Delivery pizza doesn't have to be boring, and it doesn't have to be second-rate. The business quickly built a cult following for its New York-style pies and unconventional toppings. Expansion followed, though slowly: Maker opened a new location in a different corner of the city every couple of years, in an effort to keep up with demand.
In 2025, with its sights set on expansion via a franchise and joint venture model, Maker engaged StudioDA to strengthen its brand. StudioDA worked closely with Maker's leadership to identify the core value proposition—its intellectual property, as it is for every franchise. We set to work expanding and formalizing the brand's communication toolkit, from visual identity through tone of voice and beyond.
Maker had strong reputational equity, so the brief was a refresh, not a reimagination. We worked with the brand's slice-shaped wordmark, building a robust system around it. We developed a colour palette drawn from the product itself—Marinara, Basil, Burnt Sauce, Crust Off-White, Maker Gold—and codified the pairings, turning colour into a hardworking element of the visual system. We referenced the slice geometry with a typographic treatment, enabling Maker to turn any phrase into a brand element. And we established an art direction that comprises both textural close-ups of the raw ingredients and candid portraits of the Makers themselves.
The visual identity's emphasis on food and ingredients reflects Maker's genuine differentiation. Chef Coulson Armstrong—Culinary Director of Our House Hospitality Company, Executive Chef of Prime Seafood Palace, and winner of Top Chef Canada—leads recipe development. The mozzarella is a proprietary, high-fat Quebec blend that melts exceptionally well. And the recipes defy convention, with distinctive names and ingredient combinations, like Tropic Thunder, which features chilli-infused pineapple, pickled jalapeños and salsa verde.
Alongside our work, DesignAgency reimagined Maker's interiors, bringing the refreshed brand palette to life in physical space. Our collective output has solidified Maker's offering and made it scalable; it is now driving the company's expansion beyond Toronto, and soon, the world beyond it.
With its sights set on expansion via a franchise model, Maker engaged StudioDA to expand and systemize its brand.
The visual identity system—like the recipes, ingredients and product names—reflects Matty Matheson’s iconoclastic sensibility.
We built a typographic system referencing the shape of a pizza slice, giving Maker a tool to turn any phrase into a branded element.
