Spot Bagel, based out of South San Francisco, approached me to create a logo that was whimsical, hip and fun, without losing sight of the fact that all of their artisan bagels are handcrafted with chef-developed flavors. Traditionally made by boiling each bagel in water, the old-fashioned way, their signature logo caught many eyes and got them as much attention as their tasty bagels did.

To understand the process of how I developed this logo, check out my case study of it, on the right.

Spot bagel, because of it’s name, lended itself to more graphic treatments and design for the logo. Circle, dots, and various different bold treatments all came to mind with the name Spot. Sure it could invoke a dog named spot, or Dalmatians, but it could also be the spot on the map of good taste, or trying to find the perfect spot. So many connotations in a simple name.

The first exploration I did was the idea of trying to locate the perfect spot. Spot bagel works as verb as well as an noun, and the call to action that an arrow invokes seemed like a good concept for a new company that didn’t have much name recognition in San Francisco.

Illustrating the bagel itself, I started to play with the idea that maybe the bagel needed to be included in the logo. From a simple grid system, with the diagonal line (a vague reference to the fact that San Francisco’s main street, Market Street, runs diagonally through the city) to the more simple use of the illustrated bagel with the type treatment, were explored.

Early variants of the dog concept for Spot Bagel used both the dog tag shape as well as the whole dog.

Working with the Dalmatian, I started to explore the idea of creating a logo with the graphic dog reversed out of a color box. Already the logo was standing out as something different from the other logos as punchy and bold. The client immediately gravitated toward this logo, and I started to refine it, trying to figure out how to make it less fussy and less like a logo for a vet or pet store, more a logo for a bakery.

The introduction of a bagel halo, helped to bring in the idea that this was a bakery logo, and not a pet store or veterinarian clinic. A type exploration found a basic type face that showed the artisan crafted feel that the client wanted to convey with the logo. Custom refinements and the hiring of an illustrator lead to the final logo below.

That’s the complete case study for creating a logo. Click back to see the initial comps for the Belle’s Bagel concept and the Secret Bagel concept which were also concepts for the artisan bagel company or feel free to explore how I applied the logo to signage, packaging and other applications.

The concept of secret bagel was fertile creative ground to start with. From the old fashion vintage 1950s secret decoder rings to the idea of keeping a secret to spy and espionage motifs, I started exploring the idea of what a company called Secret Bagel should look like.

Inspired by the playful nature of keeping a secret, I created a few sketches on the idea that Secret Bagel was something that you didn’t tell anyone about, well anyone other than your best friend.

Taking the idea of keeping a secret one step further, I explored the idea that each bagel flavor was a case number from an detective agency. These secret bagels would only be known by their code numbers, creating a system for the flavors for sale, including some of the seasonal and special limited edition bagels.

Other concepts that I explored included one inspired by the vintage 1950s decoder rings and the missing elusive secret bagel.

Finally, I explored the idea of a Secret Bagel that was confidential, for only select eyes. These concepts were well received by the client but ultimately it was the Spot Bagel concept that was chosen. However, the second one confidential concept with it’s “Top Secret” Stamp design was placed on reserve by the client as a possible viral advertising campaign for the bagel company.

Click back to see the initial comps for the Belle’s Bagel concept as well as the preliminary concepts for Spot Bagel.

When initially approached by what would soon be Spot Bagel, they had not settled on a name. Their product was an artisan bagel, made from local organic ingredients baked daily, but their name was still up in the air. Three concepts for the company were in play, including Belle’s Bagel, named after the owner’s mom (the woman in the center of the mood board). The second concept was Secret Bagel, and the third concept was Spot Bagel. Working with the first concept, I built a brand with an old school artisan bakery feel, taking inspiration from packaging and design invoking handcrafted appeal.

Initial design concepts for Belle Bagel focused on abstracting the portrait of Belle, making her either a cameo silhouette, or a straightforward silhouette in an organic shape evoking a more homemade feel, with handwritten typography.

Expanding the hand drawn concept and abandoning the anonymous silhouettes, I created a simple line drawing of Belle to work with the handwriting of the brand name. Completely the concept is the tagline “handcrafted with care.”

Once I started working with an actual portrait of Belle, I realized that there was a myriad of ways to illustrate her. Moving away from the hand made look, I expanding on the idea of a cameo style logo by placing Belle in an oval as well as other way to integrate her with the type, all the while still invoking an old school feel.

Finally I decided to try a few concepts of Belle’s Bagels where the type and look invoked an old school New York deli. Though none of these logo concepts made it past round 1, my client enjoyed them all, and ended up showing them to his mom, who seemed to love them.

Click through to see the initial comps for the Secret Bagel concept as well as the preliminary concepts for Spot Bagel.

The Spot Bagel delivery trucks were instant mobile advertising, and much like the building, I wanted to leverage the logo and the signature red color as much as possible. With the logo painted on the sides and the “breaducate Yourself” secondary message on the back, the trucks made an impact where they went, delivery bagels and love throughout the San Francisco Bay Area.

The grocery store end cap bagel case was an eye catching structure, meant to draw the consumer in, with the signature red, the iconic wallpaper sides and the header that proudly displayed the Spot Bagel logo. Each bin would hold one or two different flavored bagels, and the front of the display would present secondary messaging to the brand that set it apart from its competition, like “Always Organic” or “Local Ingredients.”

One of the most fun design projects was working on the packaging for Spot Bagel. The graphic nature of the logo and the signature red makes for an eye catching bag, and the use of the “iconic wallpaper pattern” on the gussets created a standout piece that I was proud to have produced. The presentation box made a great marketing tool with it’s impactful shape, color and graphics, while the “wallpaper” a nice surprise reveal on the flaps when you opened it up.

After creating the identity for Spot Bagel, the application of it had to come next. From building signage, to the display cases, to the packaging and the delivery trucks, every aspect of the company had to be branded. Due to zoning laws the building sign could only be a certain size, but we chose to paint the entire facade the signature Spot Bagel red to make as much of an impact as possible. On the north facing wall, we painted their tagline Breaducate Yourself, a call to action for all drivers down Highway 101.

Using bold numbers and bold figures, this graphic packaging concept gives consumers more “food for thought” as they wonder what went into their food and how it was prepared at Wendy’s. The use of Wendy’s logo, as a watermark, is a more sophisticated subtle way to brand the packaging, letting the bold signature Wendy’s color do the heavy lifting.

Ingredients were in the forefront of this packaging concept for Wendy’s. The use of craft and the single color Wendy’s logo helps elevate the brand beyond their fast food roots.