Gin & Luck logo design

Above is the final logo design I recently finished for a new cocktail lounge in L.A. The bar itself hasn't even broken ground yet, so I can't give up too much information at this point. But I did get the OK to post the logo and a bit of the design process through the sketches below:

I wanted to try out a range of options in the sketch stage, since we weren't entirely sure of the look it should have. But in our research, classic establishments like Canter's, Musso & Frank's the Cotton Club, and even the Moulin Rouge Hotel in Las Vegas had signage with a certain design flair that we really liked, and inspired a sort of Old Hollywood approach to some of these (as well as several less-successful attempts that i'm not posting).

That last sketch ultimately won out over the others, so I spent a good amount of time tweaking, skewing, and reworking it until I got it to the final, polished logo. The Art Deco inspired starburst graphic (at top) was a late addition, and will likely end up being used in more specialized applications of the branding.

Proprietor's Barrel whiskey label

Wow, this is my first post in a couple of months! Just when I think I'm getting pretty consistent with my posts, I end up falling behind again.. Well, you haven't missed anything TOO incredibly exciting. Things slowed down a bit over the holidays, as they normally do, but work has been picking up again the last couple weeks. Here are some of the things I've been up to: a 4-illustration assignment for Dwell magazine; 3 illustrations for Samatamason in Chicago for a video-conferencing client; identity and menu design for a new bar in LA; label design for a special batch of Wild Turkey whiskey; new designs for a couple of wine labels; concepts for new promotions and portfolios for 2010.

Some of these recent jobs are still ongoing, and others are not out yet, so I can only post images for the Wild Turkey label I designed. Wild Turkey agreed to produce a special batch of their Single Barrel Bourbon for the bar Death & Company, and to throw a party at the bar with their Master Distiller (Jimmy Russell) in attendance to sign the bottles. The name of the whiskey is Proprietor's Barrel, it is incredibly delicious, and here are the images to prove it:


P.S. I had to keep my design relatively close to an existing label they use for this bottle shape, using similar fonts, colors, and the same label shape/size. We didn't want the design to fall too far from the existing strength of the Wild Turkey branding.

New Death & Co. Menu

My wife and I updated the Death & Co. menu about a week ago. I made 8 new illustrations and created the category titles, inspired by old Stock Certificate lettering. The general design is mostly similar to before, but Kate had to change out all of the food and drink items with new stuff, rearrange some sections, and add in more quotes. It's head bartender Brian Miller's first menu, and I can't wait to try out some of their new concoctions. They have a new chef now, too, so the small-plates are all new... and sound rather tasty.

Death & Co. Menu Illustrations

I worked on this menu for Death & Co. last June with my wife, Kate. She did the page design while I created the spot illustrations and the cover crest. It was a super fun project.. working with Kate and our friend Dave Kaplan, the owner. Plus it has given us more of a reason to go in there more often. Not that we really need more of a reason, since the food and the drinks are impeccable. If you still haven't gone, GO!! jeez..

Since I was pretty busy at the time, I needed to recycle a couple of the illustrations that I made for D&C for their cocktail catering (see the post). The actual menu has changed a bit since this Summer menu, but the general design is the same. You can download the latest menu here.

p.s. those are rye sprigs in the cover crest. rye whiskey is yummy.

"The Scarlet Ibis" rum label

I designed this label/logo for my friend Dave Kaplan, owner of Death & Co. (see last post), for a rum he had produced. Here's what Style.com said about it:

"Boozing up the maxim "If you want something done right...," Manhattan cocktail den Death & Co has crafted its own brand of rum. Dubbed Scarlet Ibis—after Trinidad's national bird—the versatile 98-proof tipple can be mixed into citrus drinks and Manhattan-style concoctions with equal aplomb. To produce it, Death's Dave Kaplan enlisted importer Haus Alpenz to help him scour the Caribbean for a round-bodied, dry-finish spirit with a full burnt-caramel note. He settled upon a three-rum, 150-proof Trinidadian blend (hence the name), which he then cut with a hydrometer and good old NYC tap. Better yet, the bar isn't keeping it for itself—watering holes and retailers on both coasts have picked it up.
About $26, available in NYC at Grayz, the JakeWalk, and Elettaria; in San Francisco at Alembic, Absinthe, Bourbon & Branch, Forbidden Island, Slanted Door, and Flora; in Berkeley at Wine Commune; and in Washington, D.C., at Central Liquors; deathandcompany.com"

We had a very short period of time to get this thing designed (basically 2 days), and had some serious limitations put on us by the importer. I was hoping for special paper, offset printing, and foil stamping, but the labels ended up being printed digitally (far from ideal). I painted the bird in the background (a scarlet ibis) in gouache - If you see the actual label it ended up printing too pale and grayed out. But whatever.. the rum tastes great! I think you can also get it at Astor Liquor in NY, by the way..