Smokeshow BBQ Brand Identity

Mike’s vision for the brand was rooted in his personal journey in barbecue – how the zen-like process of BBQ tempered an overactive mind, provided a sense of purpose and an outlet for his ideas, and opened his eyes to the power of community and food. In the same way barbecuing provides a vehicle for his creative expression, we wanted to make sure the Smokeshow brand also reflected his personality and interests. Mike is gritty, unrefined, a metalhead, and unapologetically himself. BBQ is a cuisine that is revered for the same traits – a little messy, but a lotta big quality. While strategizing on the creative direction for Smokeshow, we determined that a few things would be our main focuses for the design:

• In an industry that tends to lean on stereotypes and kitsch, the design would be unexpected and outside the box.

• Smokeshow’s brand personality would be welcoming, determined, real, energetic, and playful. There would be an emphasis on not being afraid to poke fun at themselves or playfully tease the audience, and have an irreverent but not offensive quality.

• We wanted to incorporate a mascot to represent all the qualities of the brand and create a unique and instantly recognizable symbol for Smokeshow.

With those main focuses in mind, we envisioned a bold and confident type treatment for the logo. For the mascot, we created Felix – a fiery character with lots of personality and a love for metal and meat. Combining these two elements with cheeky messaging, expressive typography, playful illustrations/graphics, and a bold color palette, we landed on a design direction that is distinct, striking, and fun.