Logo Design: The Perfect Peanut Brittle Company

A small, family-owned gourmet food business approached us about upgrading their existing logo.

The Perfect Peanut Brittle Company had been using a piece of clipart for their logo that was not working out. The only version they had was not high resolution and it looked poor. When the client talked with the clipart company about upgrading the art and using it as a logo, they were told they did not have the rights to do so. Therefore, a new logo logo was in order. However, they wanted to maintain a tie to their current brand identity.

As you can see, the original logo was a historical looking portrait, framed like a cameo. It recalled a certain era that tied in with the idea of good, old-fashioned, home-made peanut brittle.

So we worked to maintain that historical feel as we upgraded the design. I did research to find images of women from the Victorian period. I also was inspired by Mary Poppins and some of the outfits from the Disney movie.

I found lots of crazy hats and collars which were a bit more elaborate than the original, but the general lines of the hair, hats and collars worked.

The original logo also featured a script font for the logotype. It was hard to read and was not grouped with the logo; it was a separate element. Our client wanted to have at least one variation that tied the portrait together with the type. We also decided it would be the type of logo that could be split into two pieces when necessary.

First round of logo designs

As you can see, we kept the design within a narrow focus. The first option (upper left) was quite similar to the original. The second option (upper right) was a close take away from that, but with a more elaborate hat and the script type put into a ribbon banner. Both of these followed the original’s downcast eyes and I found it a too dour and sad looking.

So, I started from scratch with a much more optimistic rendition (I was channeling Mary Poppins). I thought adding a peanut to the hat would also be a fun little extra touch.

Finalizing the logo design

The client agreed that the newer version was much more appealing with the smiling and upward gazing face.

We did a few rounds of revisions to tweak and adjust the logo design and this is what we ended up with. We chose the more readable non-script font, but placed it within the ribbon. We adjusted her hairline, neck and collar and made a few other minor adjustments to the design elements.

In addition to this version that groups the type and logo together, we also provided files for the elements separately. As I wrote in a recent post, we feel it’s OK to have more than one version of a logo, as long as they are very consistent. The client knew he would have several different applications for this logo, and there would be times when it would be better to separate the logo and the type.

Finally, we provided the client with a complete logo library including: eps files, jpegs and gifs in various sizes and small avatars to work with. Not sure what files you should get from your designer? read this.

The client’s reaction? He sent me a note saying:

Thanks so much for creating a fantastic logo for me!

And, I highly recommend the brittle. Buy it online or find it in stores and markets in and around Maine.