Rub & Roll brand identity design
It all started with the owners’ story and the atmosphere of the place. Plenty of enamel signs on the walls, all brought from the USA. Embossed, cool, patinated and complete with awesome typography. Most of them are from gas stations or bars. The only thing that’s missing from them is a ‘Welcome to Twin Peaks’ sign. I was so captivated by this stage. I also found out soon that Americans had a different attitude towards this than us. It was clear that the only way I could achieve the goal and meet the clients’ requirements if I drew something bold, brave and out-of-the-ordinary to the European eye and that I had to build it on letters.
Now what did the owners want? They wanted to see something that educates, delivers the fun facts that also help us understand the genre and, of course, something that’s totally American. Oh yeah, and ‘engaging’, too. You can even take a look inside the smoker in the kitchen to see what’s cooking. That happened to us, too, by the way. We saw the meats that were cooking for 10+ hours, we learned about the role of the rub, the marbling of the meat. All these elements are crucial and rely on each other to work. As the brisket was circling at a low temperature, the role of heat, time and the flavors did look quite important.
Heat, USA, typo. This was my starting point, and as I looked closely at the smokers, I saw two brand logos, Ole Hickory an Southern Pride, which made me think of Orange tube amplifiers and the psychedelic CD covers with the circling motifs. This is where the two things connected, our concept with the name and the method of cooking meat. The meeting point of the heat and the American attitude. These two logos were exactly what I was looking for.