Let’s start this delicious post with a definition appetizer.
Food hub: a place for local food producers, artisans, and home chefs to come together to work, learn, and experiment. A space where passionate people can nourish their loved ones and their community.
Dock+ (formerly the Port Alberini Food Hub), nestled in Fisherman’s Harbour on beautiful Vancouver Island, was created for just this purpose. This 17,000 sq foot space is the source of some of the community’s best food, whether it’s finned or feathered, from the trees or from the earth.
Need for a Distinctive Brand
The Food Hub turned Rogue for a new name and logo to help them stand out and attract local foodies to the scene.
Their new name had to capture the essence of the waterside kitchen and the surrounding community. And since the term food hub can be used for food banks or online grocery marketplaces, the team also wanted to make sure there was no room for confusion.
The next challenge was to create a simple but memorable logo to represent everything the brand stood for: a love of fresh regional ingredients, the environmental and health impacts of making your own products, and supporting and incubating local business.
A New Brand is Born
Being from an island ourselves, we know plenty about waterfront structures. We quickly settled on The Dock+, which captures the flavour of the Alberini Valley, and added the tagline “Food in Focus” to emphasize the brand’s purpose.
Next up: how to visually represent The Dock+?
After diving in and learning everything we could about the brand, we started with a few simple but effective options: incorporating wooden boards, anchors, and docks into fun, stylish, and eye-catching logos.
But the team was drawn to something even cleaner: a handwritten version of ‘The Dock+’. It’s professional, but still with a touch of artisanal spirit. The plus sign is nestled into the K, but still stands out to show customers there’s so much more to learn about the organization.
The simple colours subtly represent the sea and agriculture of the area and make it rich yet whimsical.
From New Name to New Brand
The Dock+ was thrilled with their new name and logo, but we knew we couldn’t stop there: we had to breathe life into the new brand and set them up for success.
First, we crafted a brand story to sit front and centre on their gorgeous website. In just 200 words we were able to share how The Dock+ began, what it offers, and inspire local artisans to come in and start cooking.
To make the new brand launch as simple as possible, we then crafted a detailed brand standards manual so their team would know exactly when, where, and how to incorporate the new logo and name.
Are You Happy with Your Brand?
Whether you’re just starting out or have been in business for years, launching a new brand is an intimidating prospect.
But think about it: your name and logo are the very first thing anyone sees about your brand. It might seem small, but it can create a long-lasting impression. Whether the impression is positive or negative is up to you.
Does your brand accurately represent your business and what you do? Are you truly happy with it, or have you just settled for something “good enough” and run with it?
A new name or logo might be just what you need to keep your business fresh and growing. If you’re overwhelmed at the thought of even starting a redesign, Rogue Penguin can help!
We’re proud to say our detailed discovery process results in a winning logo from the first round of options more than 90% of the time. Get started today.
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