Sometimes things don’t go as you visualize, plan or expect. We got great comments about the original Mozzeria logo. People said they loved the style, the lettering and how red letters plays off the black background. Some liked the iconic graphic to the right, an abstract resemblance of a glass of wine, a pizza, or even a tabletop pizza stand!

But early on we ran into challenges with this logo whenever we needed to reduce the logo to fit a business card, a newsletter or a webpage. As the iconic graphic is bigger than the text, in reducing the overall logo, the text gets smaller and becomes difficult to read. The thin font begins to disappear in the pool of black.

Inasmuch as we all liked the logo, it just wasn’t practical. Real-life applications of that logo weren’t panning out. We needed to solve this problem!

When we were visualizing what the interior look for Mozzeria should be, we took another look at the logo and realized the colors and font wouldn't come across well on exterior signage. We pondered on what approach to use.

While contemplating the new look, I went through business cards I had collected from restaurants. Patty Foo Hampton, an interior designer also shared some business cards. A few particular cards caught my eye – these designs were clean and simple. I told Patty it was what I wanted for Mozzeria. I loved use of the colors, black and white, and suggested incorporating red as an accent color. You can’t go wrong with classic black and white colors. Patty then incorporated these colors into her design plan for Mozzeria.

David Rosenbaum of Deaf411, Inc. and I then worked together on the new logo design and we came up with this new logo. We are pleased to roll out this new design.


In the meantime, I called the exterior signage company that did signage for the previous tenant and it took several weeks for them to produce new Mozzeria signage. It just arrived! Wow, the name Mozzeria now looks sharp on the new signage. I hope when people drive by, they will notice the new signage. :)

This new logo will begin to make its appearance on Mozzeria.com.

 

 

While we were brainstorming ideas for the interior look at Mozzeria with Patty Foo Hampton, our interior designer, we wanted to create a custom look. We have been impressed with Ron Trumble's wood making skills.



Ron Trumble has been in the wood making business for 30 years, and runs his own shop in Oakland. One of his previous clients, Candy Store is located in the Russian Hill neighborhood, San Francisco. I would like to show you what he is capable of making. Above is a picture of custom made shelves that he created for Candy Store. Ron is known for making amazing wood furniture and cabinets.



We hired Ron to make table tops, an U-shaped banquette, a countertop by the window, and shelves for the bar. I also want to mention how truly beautiful when Patty, Ron, Russ and I met in person to discuss details for these wood projects, we all were able to communicate in American Sign Language (ASL). There was no third party to assist us in relaying information.

We cannot wait to see these completed products. We look forward to seeing our vision becoming alive soon.

 

 

 

Thor, X-Men, Green Lantern and Captain America have already hit the theaters, and they are America's fictitious Heroes. We have our own version of heroes here.

After surveying the Mozzeria space with Janet Campbell, our architect and Patty Foo Hampton, our interior designer, we determined that we need to make several major adjustments in order to bring the entire space in compliance with both current Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requirements and building codes. We have begun renovation, and our main focus is to bring everything up to current codes then we can move into the next phase of beautifying the space.

We have hired Nathan Dingel, a recent graduate of Electrical Program at Wyotech. I have known Nathan for a long time as we have been classmates and friends since 1980. Nathan is “Mr. Can-Do-Anything” and he works fast. He and his wife, Heidi are expecting a baby girl anytime so we appreciate his making time to squeeze us into his busy schedule. We are thrilled to have him on our team.

We are thankful to family members and friends who lent their hands to help at Mozzeria’s new home.  Robbie, Russ' mom, flew in from Austin, Texas and stayed with us for 2 and 1/2 weeks. She is a cleaning guru and can make every appliance look brand new! She wasn't afraid to pick up the hammer and, before you knew it, she was hammering away! Ron and Betty Ann also kept insisting on helping us, and they are such a sweet couple. They helped us apply primer to the walls.

They are truly our heroes. :)