While the first two logos of Sbarro have been based on the Italian national flag, the current version has a different inspiration. The national colors are still there, though.
Sbarro, LLC is a US-based pizzeria chain specializing in New York-style pizza. The company was founded in 1956 by Gennaro and Carmela Sbarro. The same year, their first location in Brooklyn, New York, opened.
The original Sbarro badge was created in 1956, and stayed with the brand for almost twenty years. It was a very simple composition, based on just a lowercase italicized inscription in a traditional sans-serif font. The lettering was written in black, against a white background, with no additional elements or colors used in the badge.
The earliest Sbarro logo was basically just the Italian national flag rotated 90 degrees. This was quite a reasonable approach as the co-founders had immigrated to the US from Naples, Italy. Across the central (white) stripe, the lettering “Sbarro” could be seen. The characters were lowercase and italicized. The corners of the flag were rounded. On the whole, the design was very clean for its era.
While the Italian national flag has remained the centerpiece of the logo, it now looked different. A subtle wave added some dynamism – it looked as if the flag was waving in the wind. Once again, the central stripe featured the lowercase word “Sbarro” in black. This time, it was larger in comparison with the stripes, which made it better legible. The type was slightly simpler, which also contributed to better legibility.
In early 2015, an utterly different emblem was introduced. Only the colors of the Italian flag reminded the previous logos. This time, the design forces behind the brand decided to convey an additional message: the outline of a pizza slice reminds of the fact that Sbarro sells pizza by the slice. The lettering “NYC.1956” on the Sbarro logo proudly alludes to the company’s Brooklyn origins.