There’s no denying that the CPG design world is deep in its maximalist renaissance, reaching for archive imagery and vintage nostalgia. Welp, we’ve got another pasta brand that’s leaning into it.
Italian design studio nju:design created the identity for Pasta Fortuna, an artisanal pasta brand rooted in the traditions of Basilicata in Southern Italy, by turning centuries of superstition and maternal love into a graphic language that feels current.
The illustrations are flat, gestural silhouettes of good-luck symbols pulled directly from Southern Italian folk culture, rendered here in a simplified shape that sits somewhere between a Matisse cutout and a modern risograph print. What makes this brand so enchanting is that nju:design managed to encode so much cultural meaning—a mother’s name, a regional symbol, generations of pasta-making tradition—into a visual system that’s completely approachable. And that’s no small feat.
The packaging design of @pastafortuna tells a story of love—a mother’s love, a land of traditions, and popular superstitions.
Some gestures, like knocking on wood or throwing salt over your shoulder, avoiding walking under a ladder, or certain objects like a key, symbolizing protection, have carried deep symbolic meaning across centuries and borders.
The rooster, the Cucù of Matera, is a symbol of the sun, light, and good fortune. Every home in the Sassi had a Cucù inside to ward off evil spirits.
Pasta Fortuna is also the story of a deep bond: the one with Mamma Anna Maria Coluzzi, to whom it is dedicated, and the one with Basilicata and its identity. The name itself encapsulates the authentic flavors of Southern Italy.
This artisanal pasta, made exclusively from 100% Italian grains, is bronze-drawn, cold-processed, and dried for up to 72 hours using traditional methods—preserving an ancient wisdom in the art of pasta-making.
