Winning The Best Bar in Asia 2024 and The Best Bar in Hong Kong 2024 awards this year, the two recognitions have secured Bar Leone as the place-to-be in Hong Kong. 

A cocktail bar cross Italian aperitivo destination, Bar Leone has made its mark in Hong Kong just one year after opening.

Helmed by mixologist Lorenzo Antinori (ex Dandelyan in London, Charles H in Seoul, Argo in Hong Kong), his first solo project is a ‘neighbourhood bar’ with authentic Italian details and feeling, dedicated to Antinori’s hometown of Rome. Framed football jerseys and old Italian prints make up the interiors, welcoming and full of personality. Guided by Antinori’s central philosophy of ‘cocktail popolari’, meaning ‘cocktails for the people’, accompanied by traditional Italian snacks and bites. The bar also highlights they have the cheapest espresso in the city, an important staple for any Italian in or outside the country.

With a stellar team behind the bar’s success, the branding and identity was completed by Shenzhen, Hong Kong and Venice-based design studio, We Are Panglossian.

Founded by Italian-born friends and business partners Sara Biancaccio and Benedetta Anghileri – also key collaborators at Champ Travel – the duo have brought their authentic Italian essence to Asia, designing multiple venue identities and graphic design partnerships across Hong Kong and China.

With Benedetta based in Venice, Italy, the We Are Panglossian studio is now cross-continental with their work in the two regions enhancing their expertise even more.

Champ Editorial Director Monique Kawecki spoke to We Are Panglossian founders Sara Biancaccio and Benedetta Anghileri

Your studio, We Are Panglossian, is situated between Venice Italy and Shenzhen, China. Can you tell us how you approached your branding and identity work for Bar Leone?

Sara Biancaccio (SB): Our studio is situated in Hong Kong, Shenzhen and Venice. Both Benedetta and I are Italian, and we both lived in Mainland China (where I still do). Having a similar cultural background though doesn’t mean that we have the same taste or that we would do a logo design in the same way. We’re like two separate funnels: things that we see and experience, get filtered with our very own taste and inclinations, leading to two different ‘outcomes’.

And we both love and trust blindly what the other does. Being Bar Leone an Italy-inspired bar, in the first part of the creative process, where being close to the inspiration source of the concept was a crucial aspect, Benedetta took care of it.

Benedetta Anghileri (BA): The approach to the project was extremely tangible. I think that one of the very first moves on this project was meeting up in Rome for a couple of days with Lorenzo and delving into the chaotic capital’s charm and its tastefully no-frills approach. He brought me to those places in which his heart flutter a little faster: we stop for breakfast at Bar Farnese; hop from stall to stall at Mercato Testaccio, eating Roman street food specialties; grab a slice of thin, crunchy and fragrant Pizza Romana at Roscioli and a cold beer at Bar Calisto. In each of these places, you witness mini theater works every day: it’s fun to steal excerpts of conversations, sayings or gestures and it’s easy to take inspiration and put it into your work.

From this cauldron of inspirations, we gradually outlined our vision: to be strongly linked to this city while maintaining a lighthearted and non-commercial spirit. During the brand-building process, we chose references that didn’t necessarily lead to the most obvious image but to one that few people knew, fostering a genuine community of true “aficionados.”

SB: In the second part of it, when we had to consolidate/develop the identity and be ready for cross collaboration materials, being in Hong Kong was the perfect solution to be hands on, so I took care of that part.

How do your two locations influence your work in both locations?

SB: Shenzhen/Hong Kong (our HQ is in Shenzhen but I often go to Hong Kong) are extremely fast paced and modern cities, where the work culture (in Shenzhen especially) it’s the priority. The timeline between a concept ideation and the realization of it is really short: operating here means to double the speed of any creative process, but it is actually very rewarding to see the project I am working on ‘alive’ in a very short period of time.

BA: The pace in Venice, as in Italy or Europe, is a bit less frenetic. However, having our roots in Asia and later choosing to open a branch here means our studio remains a point of reference with an international vision, even for those who choose us locally. In this sense, Venice is very strategic: every year it sees an incredible flow of people pass by for events such as the Biennale. You have the opportunity to meet, talk and collaborate with many inspiring people.

At the same time, living in a place like Venice makes you reflect on its fragile social and professional fabric due to the impact of tourism, and how important it is to maintain and nourish it whenever we can. We turn to Grafiche Veneziane to print all our projects locally and collaborate with local artisans such as Bottega del Tintoretto for ad-hoc solutions. We are an active part of How Do We Meet, a local network of women that supports and nurtures the feminine ability to create new connections. Together with other local professionals, we recently opened Versatile, our office in Venice, which offers a dynamic environment for focused work, meetings, and gatherings for the local and international community.

For your project with Bar Leone, were there any specific references you used to inspire the entire branding for the bar in Hong Kong to make it authentically Italian? Do you work with clients on more than just branding and graphics?

BA: Bar Leone is the epitome of an Italian bar — warm, cordial, and imbued with a vintage charm. The walls, adorned with archival pictures of Italian celebrities, classic signages, and various accouterments, are wood-paneled, framing cozy booths that invite you to live a little. The bar’s identity draws inspiration from Italian hospitality and charm, merging the irreverence of postmodern Italian design with a contemporary mindset. Influences include the Italian Serie A football league, particularly AS Roma, 80’s Italian disco music, and the bold, punchy Roman dialect sometimes referred to as “Romanaccio”.This blend conveys a sense of time and place, celebrates enduring pastimes and cultural pride, and shapes a “neo-Italian” style.

Like a language, the identity is constantly evolving. One of the perks of our job, especially in this case, is to have a never ending conversation with the client on a weekly base, exchanging references which ranges from Papa Francesco, winged lions, heraldic lions, rampant lions, lions lions, the most memorable goals of Francesco Totti, mortadella’s panini and napkin dispensers in the shape of Peroni beer’s cap. This lively dialogue gives life to new ideas, new concepts, new collaborations.

How do you approach your branding projects from start to finish with your clients?

SB: being a ‘boutique’ branding studio allows us to approach every project differently, according to the location, the nature of the project and the attitude of our clients. For sure, two steps that are never missing are a deep initial research and constant back and forth with the client. Another aspect in common in all of our projects is the goal: we aim to start a conversation. Good branding is the face of a product/service, and if done right, it will automatically lead to interactions.

How big is your team? Who does what in your team across Venice and Shenzhen?

SB: We like to keep our team small, flexible and very skilled. We’re a core of 6 people, with our business developer partner Matteo in Hong Kong, graphic designers and PR & Media Manager in Shenzhen. When we need specific talents for a certain kind of project, we rely on a network of other small studios and freelancers. This allows us to adapt and cooperate with our clients at best.

What is next for We Are Panglossian?

SB: Our dream is to open more branches in well selected locations: all of them being boutique, flexible, hands on and providing high quality branding.

BA: Definitely. Continuing to maintain a direct relationship with our clients, finding people who want to dig deep and create projects with significant meaning, expanding our reach while always aiming for quality and never mere quantity.

Get-to-know We are Panglossian‘s branding and creative direction work here.

Bar Leone
11-15 Bridges Street, 
Central, Hong Kong

Images: We Are Panglossian
Text: Editorial Director Monique Kawecki