This is part two of our series about the importance of a great logo, and how a local business, Yellow Brick Café, went through the process of creating a logo they love and carrying the same principles throughout the rest of their branding in wonderful ways.
Let’s start with the logo and how it encompasses the essence of Yellow Brick Cafe:
I had the pleasure of sitting down and chatting with Kathy Fitzgerald, the owner and head chef at Yellow Brick Café (YBC) in Twin Falls, Idaho, to talk about her journey in developing her brand and the principles she wanted to convey.
Yellow Brick Café is a locally-sourced eatery located in the ever-changing downtown of Twin Falls. Dedicated to providing the people of the Magic Valley an inviting place to gather and enjoy fresh healthy options, while using as many local products as possible. They serve breakfast, lunch, dinner, weekend brunch, coffee drinks, wine, beer, fresh smoothies and juices, and desserts.
Defining Your Principles & Mission:
Remember in Part 1, how we touched on defining your principles and mission early on, before you even start making logo concepts? It’s so important that any quality logo translate what makes your business unique and what it stands for. Yellow Brick Café did just this. When I asked Kathy to describe Yellow Brick Café’s mission in five descriptive words, they were:
- Fresh
- Locally-Minded
- Health Driven
- Mindfulness
- Family
These are pretty wonderful adjectives, and they speak to what makes this restaurant unique and how they stand out from every other eatery in the Magic Valley. They’re broad enough to give you some flexibility to grow and evolve as a business but are also specific enough to give you firm principles to stick to and to help guide your branding and business practices.
Translating Your Principles & Mission into a Visual Mark
Q: During the inception and planning process of YBC, what were the most important ideas you wanted to carry into your branding?
A: Locally minded. Agriculture is a huge part of not only my family’s background, but also the cultural background of the community and I wanted something that connects with them and feels like it comes from the earth. I carry that throughout my menu by using different types of local grains as the bases for my Super Bowl dishes. As for the name, it was heavily influenced by the physical space we were occupying.
Q: How did you communicate with the designer of the YBC logo on what you wanted reflected when you started the design process of your logo?
A: I wanted the logo to be minimal, simple, encompass an agricultural element (cows, potatoes, or grains), and also be mindful of the physical space. It needed to fit within the limitations with creating a sign above the exterior door, but also reflect the interior space with our yellow bricks and open, light space.
Q: Going into the design process, did you have a preconceived notion of the exact style/trend you wanted the logo to mirror?
A: I wanted something open, clean, homey, warm, light bright, and airy all coming together in a minimalist way.
The Process
Choosing a designer for the logo was easy for Kathy, as one of her best friends is a professional designer.
Q: How many revisions did it take to get to the final logo?
A: We initially had 7 mockups to choose the direction from. Once we had a concept, we ended up with 3 different revisions of our grain logo. The differences between the revisions were mostly different layouts between the graphical image and the type. The sign company worked with us at this stage and the sign out front dictated the final layout.
Q: When looking at the Yellow Brick Café logo, what is the first thing that comes to mind reacting to its appearance, and what does the logo say to you? What is your favorite element about the logo?
A: For me, the bright yellow grain symbol stands out. It reads as bright and fresh, and emphasizes the local, sustainable food culture we advocate for. My favorite elements are the personal element that my best friend designed it and was a part of this journey for me, as well as how the typeface has a whimsical feel by looking more handwritten and personal.
Carrying the Branding Throughout the Rest of the Journey
Remember, the totality of a company’s brand is far more than just the visual consistency. I like the think of branding like a person. It’s any experience that elicits an emotional response or perception and includes things like: outward appearance (designed elements and space); mission, values, and personality; general communication tone; interactions and experiences; customer and business processes; and value/what sets you apart.
Q: What are some of the ways you bring in those mission descriptors throughout the rest of your branding?
A: We wanted to create a comfortable space for people to feel like they can come in and stay. We incorporated seating to encourage this by including comfortable chairs and couches in more of a lounge area, counter seating by the front windows, and our benches at our normal tables include outlets so people can stay and work. Our seating incorporates warm wood tones with stainless steel to create an industrial feel while still being warm and inviting.
We also have a space to hold events upstairs that includes a mixture of indoor/outdoor space with a patio. This brings in the family and community element by creating a fantastic, local space to gather for special events.
With a focus on mindfulness and locally-minded, we like to show our changing menu and also introduce the local farmers, companies, and vendors that we source our ingredients and products from.
Is your branding telling your full story? Contact us for a free consultation to evaluate the effectiveness of your brand story and strategy!
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