Getting Off the Shelf and into the Home

Stuck in a crowd

In a noisy market space crowded with look-alikes, Bella Cucina kitchen appliances were jostling to be seen and heard. Sensio, the manufacturer of the Bella Cucina brand, came to Siegel+Gale to find a way to raise its brand above the din.

Although Sensio had been successful with other private-label brands, it had yet to find a niche for Bella Cucina. The brand is rooted in an appreciation for beauty, with products that reflect classic designs, updated for elegant modernism. But an uninspiring brand identity and proliferating products made it difficult for store buyers to navigate the portfolio. Faced with a quality brand that had yet to catch fire, Sensio approached Siegel+Gale for help finding a way into consumers’ kitchens.

Cooking up a new concept, then a new look

To start, we suggested simplifying the name to Bella, Italian for “Beauty,” and the start of a promise of an elegant, refined and inspiring brand experience. Pruned of its “Cucina” reference, Bella is also free to leave the kitchen, clearing the way for future brand expansion. Working closely with Sensio, we defined the Bella brand attributes as Dependable, Savvy, Appealing, Gracious and Expressive—qualities that suggest how Bella stands apart from small-appliance competitors.

With these attributes in mind, we designed a vintage-inspired visual system based on a prominent, metal-tooled Bella wordmark. The new identity captures Bella’s balance of beauty and dependability—and stands out on the shelf handsomely. We also reorganized the Bella line into three distinct product groups: Countertop, Entertaining and Treats. With color palettes customized for each of the three series, the new brand architecture helps shoppers navigate the full Bella range, and paves the way for brand expansion.

A recipe for effective collaboration

Bella’s new strategic and visual platform builds equity for the brand while differentiating the role of each product series. With tailored typography, rich colors and a custom photo style that highlights the quality of the products themselves, Bella borrows from the past to create an iconic yet modern lifestyle brand.

With close collaboration and a commitment to bring the brand to life quickly, Siegel+Gale and Sensio got the new designs on the shelf—and into shoppers’ homes—a mere six months after project inception.