In March, we kicked off a logo branding session with Peter Zehr for his new business Fireside Meats. As a new meat retailer in North Carolina, Peter knew it was important to have an eye-catching, professional logo to start building brand identity as quickly as possible. 

As discussion started about branding Fireside Meats, Peter explained to the Rosewood team that he wanted a logo that invoked warmth and Southern friendliness. The Zehr’s intended to open a retail meat shop featuring their own meat products along with homemade jams and canned goods. They wanted customers to recognize the quality of the savory meat they were about to experience when they saw the Fireside Meats logo. 

Their retail location sits directly off a busy highway. Peter felt passionate about inviting customers into their store with warmth and professionalism right from the start. At this point, he had no reviews and few customers to rave about their experience with Fireside Meats. Starting off strong with a striking logo would help their brand awareness to grow more quickly. 

The Process

Zachary Burkholder worked closely with Peter on the project. Roy Herr, senior marketing consultant, also was closely involved, sharing tips and guiding the process. 

The project started with Peter filling out a questionnaire. In it, he shared the backstory of Fireside Meats and answered questions about the feelings he wants his brand to evoke. After a few conversations with Peter and some hours of research, Zach had a good understanding of Peter’s vision. 

Zach started designing a few logos. One included a simple rocking chair and another a fireplace. He didn’t stop there. An old-fashioned candle and a rustic lantern also joined the sample collection. In this stage of the game, there was nothing to lose. The more options, the better. 

As Peter reviewed the sample logos, the frying pan struck him as the right emblem. But one thing bothered him—it looked too much like a cheap, Walmart frying pan. He envisioned a heavy-duty, cast iron look. It fit with his company’s mission to “provide quality meats that reflect on the bygone days when we butchered at home.”  

Collaboration between Rosewood and the client during a logo branding session is a huge part of a successful outcome. Zach, Roy, and Peter settled into the process to do just that. They tweaked the frying pan by making the handle more “cast ironish” and adding a spout to the pan’s edge.

As the pan took on the proper shape, the team discussed fonts, trying one after the next and discussing the pros and cons of each of them. Finally, they chose a serif type for the word “meats”. It felt homemade and triggered the warm, friendly feelings they wanted their customers to learn to know and love. 

Brainstorming logo colors was part of the fun. The team voted red and brown as the appropriate colors. Normally, you would imagine the fire to be red and the pan a dark color. But designers understand that the unexpected is good. So they chose the unexpected.  The pan became bright red and the letters in Fireside Meats emerged as dark brown. Zach commented, “It felt like too much red the other way.” 

Zach wrapped up the project by presenting Peter with a Logo Guidelines file as well as final Icon and Logo print and digital files both in black and white and color. 

Peter is excited about the opportunity to start his new business with a professionally branded name right from the start. Designed with clarity and simplicity, the logo will establish his brand in the community. 

Highlights of the Job

Zach shared a few of his highlights:

“It was fun when Peter picked the concept he liked. Then we knew we could head in that direction. Adding color to the logo added a nice touch too. Finally, seeing the logo printed on a Yeti mug was really cool. It was great to see our work in real life.”

So did Peter:

“Through the logo design process, I’ve learned to keep things clean and simple. I also appreciated Rosewood’s availability and flexibility during the project.” 

Are you interested in having a stronger, simpler logo that stands out from the crowd? Give us a call at 717-866-5000. 

I like the fact that we could sit down and share ideas together, and the Rosewood team would “get it”. They were able to take the concepts that we had for our business and make them visual. Now that visual concept can be used on our products to connect with our customers every day. -Peter Zehr, owner