How do you make a chicken your own?
Nashville HOT approached me to help them introduce a type of fried chicken, made popular down in Nashville, to a more northern audience. At our first meeting, my client showed me a logo that a friend had quickly put together for them that they had already filed for their trademark, so I was put to the task of trying to give them a brand that was their own while maintaining the general look of the filed logo.
Walking into Nashville HOT gives you a feeling of southern hospitality with a bit of industrial country. My clients wanted it to look like a bunch of country boys put together a restaurant which meant they wanted that easy, layed-back vibe. We used rough cut lumber and galvanized steel with punches of red to hold the look together. I hand-painted the iconic chicken on the entrance wall to welcome everyone and infuse a bit of southern hospitality. Many of the tables are picnic tables to promote that community charm.
The merchandise for the restaurant is reinforcing the country boy charm while playing on the HOT aspect of the chicken. I created some graphics based on the logo while also creating some retro cartoon chickens to have some fun.