Rocky Top Ranch Logo and Visual Identity
My design research began by getting to know the caliber of the meat we were talking about, which really places it into its own unique category. Talking with the client revealed the price point and the quality of the meat they're producing that has out-of-this-world flavor, along with its numerous health benefits.
The project was fairly limited in scope and didn't allow us to delve into any branding work, but from those conversations and some of the imagery they showed us, we felt we had enough to design something wonderful.
Initial Logo Design Concepts
The client showed us several logo designs they liked, along with some of their competitors they wanted to out-pace. After drawing up several rough concepts in black and white, we ended up landing on two very different design directions; the first with an illustrated bull that had been screened back and used a slightly distressed type. The second design featured a very bold bull with tremendous contrast.
When we reviewed the design with the client, they actually liked each one, but felt they wanted something slightly different. The client liked aspects from each, and we decided to somewhat "combine" elements from the two concepts into something that became altogether over the top.
The final logo design turned out to be significantly more illustrative, resulting in a mark the client loved, and began using like a stamp. The design direction took the bull from the first concept and the typography from the second design, and unified those elements through additional illustration depicting their countryside. That effort further emphasized the farm raised, healthy, and beneficial qualities of their meat, while the wheat stalks communicate the type of food the American Wagyu cattle are fed.
Eventually, the work was going to be printed on smooth cardboard boxes and coated stickers, and we needed to provide coated and uncoated values, along with test runs. Cardboard often times has low ink hold-out, so to compensate for that, I suggested a double hit of black if the printer felt it necessary. This way the printing costs stay low and the marks look clean and sharp.
Final Brand Identity and Logo Designs
