Creating a brand-first, unified global web solution with localised control for Vapiano
Creative
Vapiano is a global Italian restaurant chain that serves fresh pasta and pizza made on-site daily in their open kitchens.
They began in Hamburg, Germany, in 2002, and now have over 155 restaurants across 32 countries.
The Brief
This project focused on refreshing the website and developing a unified design system to ensure consistency across all franchise sites, so that customers experience a cohesive UX, no matter which restaurant location they visit.
The Challenges
What We Did
Translated brand guidelines into a scalable system
Rather than undertaking a full visual redesign, our role was to interpret Vapiano’s updated brand guidelines and translate them into a structured, reusable digital system. The focus was on engineering consistency through components, not redesigning from scratch.
Architected a modular block system
We developed a controlled library of reusable blocks. Each component was built to:
- Enforce brand consistency through predefined typography, spacing, and colour rules
- Meet accessibility standards
- Support multiple layout variations without requiring custom development
- Prevent design fragmentation across franchise sites
By limiting flexibility at a structural level, while allowing controlled content variation, we ensured global cohesion without restricting local teams.
Undertook a mobile-first, performance-led development
User analysis showed the majority of traffic was mobile. We therefore engineered all components mobile-first, prioritising:
- Performance optimisation
- Clean markup and efficient styling
- Responsive behaviour across breakpoints
- Accessibility best practice
This ensured the system was not only visually consistent but technically robust.
Created a scalable multi-site rollout
Given the complexity of Vapiano’s international franchise network, the solution needed to scale cleanly across territories. We structured the theme and block system to work seamlessly within the existing WordPress multi-site architecture, enabling consistent deployment while allowing each region to manage its own content.
Our Results
The new unified theme and modular block system established a scalable digital foundation for Vapiano’s global franchise network.
By standardising components and enforcing brand rules at the system level, we eliminated inconsistencies across territories. We created a cohesive digital experience worldwide, reducing the need for custom page builds or ad-hoc styling. Through this, we’ve been able to improve consistency with accessibility and responsive behaviour across the brand.
Each franchise now operates within a structured framework that maintains brand integrity while still allowing local content control, creating a stable foundation for future territories and campaigns, and enabling faster deployment of updates across multiple sites.
Rather than a one-off redesign, the project delivered long-term technical infrastructure — supporting over 16 territories with a unified, performance-led digital framework.
We couldn’t be more thrilled with the approach and work ethic of Flaunt. The new designs they are working on will deliver exceptional global websites to over 16 territories with UX at the forefront.
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