I started with six logo sketches which I tried to make as different from each other as possible. It was my goal to retain some key features of the old logo, including the king and/or chicken mascots. I also incorporated elements such as Harold’s famous chicken car, historical African king Masa Musa, the Chicago skyline and colors associated with Africa.
For my revised sketch, I chose to combine elements of a couple of the different original sketches. I decided to go with the more friendly and inviting King, but in the frame that was used for the more stoic King. With the chicken in the King’s arms, I placed a Chicago landmark in the badge at the bottom of the frame instead. I also put in some patterns into the frame itself.
I started with a design (v.1) that was far too busy with tiny details and text that was too small. At smaller sizes, this logo would have been illegible. The first redesign (v.2) saw a typeface change, text size change, and more emphasis on the King. The second redesign (v.3) was very minor, attempting to get "The Fried Chicken King" to circle the logo. The third redesign was also very minor, once again adjusting "The Fried Chicken King" around the logo.
For the final logo, I removed the black stroke from all elements of the logo, replacing them with gray strokes in the grayscale logo. For the final colorized logo, I colored the stroke a darker shade of the color it was surrounding.
I incorporated many elements into the logo in an attempt to make it memorable and unique. For the typeface for "Harolds," I chose to retain the script style of the original Harold's logo, but choosing a new typeface that is more modern and interesting.
The King is back, but now he takes inspiration from historical African King Masa Musa, including the crown worn upon his head.
Much like Matt Groening left his initials hidden in Homer Simpson's ear/hair, so too are hidden the initials of the Chicken King.
Harold's chicken is no longer running from our King, instead being held and admired (though he's still not too sure of the King's intentions). Meanwhile, the chicken's head is made of a piece of fried chicken leg.
Black culture is a key inspiration for this version of King Harold, including the golden chain around his neck. The H&H Harold is sporting stands for "H&H," the original name of Harold's Chicken when it was opened by Harold and Hilda in 1950.
Harold's is a Chicago staple, founded in the city to serve the underserved black communities the larger chicken corporations wouldn't touch. As such, some iconic buildings of the Chicago skyline have been incorporated into the front of the logo.
Finally, the colors of Harolds were chosen for two purposes. One, the familiar tones of red, yellow (or gold/orange) and even the green are colors already in use by some of the largest chicken restaurants in the US, adding familiarity to the colors. However, the red, gold, black and green also represent color combinations that have become synonymous with Africa and African culture.
