Intentions
The aim was to create an appealing and memorable local brand identity, that felt contemporary. Being likeable was important, but being cool was not. I wanted to match the fantastic brand name with an equally entertaining visual joke. The desired aesthetic was the opposite of the International Style; unserious, expressive and actively unpretentious. Something you could feel, rather than appreciate intellectually.
Execution
I may not be alone in enjoying Patrick Schmidt’s illustrations for Yard Sale Pizza. I have also enjoyed playing Cuphead on the PC. I decided a mascot would embody the silliness and charm I wanted to convey, and started looking more into the Rubber Hose style and its origins. After lots of very dated-feeling executions, I worked out a style for a simplified take on a rubber hose mascot, with less lines and a flatter feel to it, though without sacrificing the style’s charm. I used a bold, aquatic typeface that felt appropriately unpretentious, though also legible and well designed. Eschewing the expected blue used by seafood restaurants, I went for a punchy and reduced brand palette that takes the stars/stripes red of the brand’s Americana influences towards a more progressive pink. The visual joke of a running fish coming in first place functions on various levels. I then executed a brand system that retained coherence, but introduced unexpected treatments and approaches.