Little Italy
A little slice of Italy in the heart of Sydney's Inner West! Working alongside Magnet Studio, I developed a vibrant, playful illustration style and helped shape the colour palette for Little Italy, a destination brand celebrating Leichhardt's rich Italian heritage, culture, and community.
The result was a flexible visual storytelling system featuring over 30 bespoke illustrations, from colourful characters and iconic Italian imagery to local places and everyday moments. Designed to work individually or combine into larger scenes, the illustrations bring personality and versatility to the brand across a range of applications, including large-format street flags installed along Norton Street.
A visual language full of character
The challenge was to create an illustration style that captured the warmth, energy, and personality of Little Italy while feeling distinctive, contemporary, and adaptable. Guided by Magnet Studio's strategic direction, I developed a playful visual language built around bold shapes, expressive characters, lively details, and a vibrant colour palette that I helped refine.
The illustrations draw inspiration from Italian culture, food, architecture, and everyday life, balancing recognisable cultural references with the unique character of Leichhardt's local community.
Designed to mix, match, and tell stories
Rather than creating a collection of standalone illustrations, I approached the project as a modular visual system. Characters, buildings, objects, and other illustrated elements were designed to work independently or come together to create richer, more detailed scenes.
This gave the brand a versatile library of visual assets that could be adapted to different messages, formats, and applications while maintaining a consistent and recognisable identity. From individual spot illustrations to large-scale street flags along Norton Street, the system was designed to bring Little Italy's personality to life wherever it appeared.
Client: Little Italy / VIVA Leichhardt
Creative agency: Magnet Studio
Location: Leichhardt, Sydney
Strategy + Creative Direction: Matt Barrett
Design: Geoff Courtman
Illustration: Shira Bentley