Sac’s Tasty Hot Dogs is a restaurant based in Vallejo, California. They are a small restaurant business with one location and serve hotdogs and ice cream. Their customer base are repeat customers, especially adults, who have come to know Sac’s for their staff’s reputation of friendliness, hospitality, and quick service. The goal of this project was to overhaul Sac’s existing brand identity, and create a unique visual identity for Sac’s, that incorporated the stores vintage styled interior aesthetics.
Various of methods of research were conducted prior to initial designs. Careful observations were made on location both inside and outside of the restaurant. Brief interviews with friendly staff members aided in the photography and analysis of the store. One of the main characteristics of the store was it’s vast collection of vintage memorabilia, especially in cartoon lunchboxes and Coca-Cola adverts. It was also observed that, besides their logo, there was no overarching brand identity throughout the business. Generic off the shelf supplies are used for cups, bags, wrappers, and napkins.
It was also during this part of the design process that a careful analysis of competitors (TED’s, Pink’s, and Weinerschnitzel) was analyzed. Notable revelations from this analysis included the use of a mascot, vintage styling and imagery, and careful attention to eye-catching colors used across their entire brand image. Introducing these into Sac’s brand would be integral to improving it’s visual identity.
A word list featuring vocabulary related to the restaurant was created and sketched out, along with over 45 different logo ideas. It was found that the mascot sketches were successful due to their cute and friendly appearance which attracted attention. It was also discovered that the condiment bottle logo designs were successful in bringing elements of the typography and the visuals into one cohesive logo
It was also during the digital sketching processes here that the decision to combine both the mascot idea and the typographic interaction with the condiment bottle idea. Greyscale values and color were also explored during this stage.The digital sketching process also involved exploring typography, specifically looking at typefaces that reflected vintage styles such as sign painting. Ultimately, VAG Rundshrfit D and Basenji Variable were selected as the brand’s primary typefaces for their vintage appearance.
The final logo outcome is one that resolves the pain points found in Sac’s original logo. The design is not cluttered, omitting the various decorative aspects of the original hotdog logo, such as the tomato, relish, and onions. Instead, it utilizes the letters of the word “Sac’s” as the condiment being dressed onto the hotdog, connecting both the typography and the elements into one cohesive logo.
A mascot drawn in a retro comic style named Sac was created and implemented into the logo. To further add to the cohesiveness of the logo, Sac is pictured interacting with the typography, placing the “sauce” apostrophe. With the addition of the mascot, the logo retains the kindness and friendliness that the restaurant and its staff aim to deliver.
The logo is dressed in a halftone pattern throughout, adding texture as well as cementing its overall appearance as retro and vintage. This is especially the case with their older adult customers, many of whom grew up with comic books and hand drawn animated cartoons.
Upon completion of the finalized logo, an overarching brand identity was created utilizing the colors, typography, and mascot established in the logo design. This visual identity was then demonstrated across several use cases specifically for Sac's. These included the designs for business cards, cups, wrappers, signage, t-shirts, and bags.
