Does your branding smell of old wieners?
Published
by George Hess
I used to think of myself as an artistic fellow. Someone with an inherit knack for the graphic arts. But I was recently humbled by the branding genius of a local Mexican restaurant. I will only go so far – these amigos however are “shaping” the future.
One of the Wienerschnitzels, a fast food franchise tailored to hot dog consumers, went out of business in Mount Vernon, WA. Naturally, a drive through Mexican restaurant arose from its ashes. But what does one do with all the left over “Wiener” stuff? You can't let it go to waste – especially during these times of economic crises. Latin–American ingenuity enter stage left, and presto, transform the giant “W” into a pair of fighting roosters and reopened as Taqueria El Gallito (loosely translated The Cocky Taco Shop).
So not only do they save on the majority of money it would usually cost to create signage, but they are sublimely capturing the loyal hot dog eating community. Again, genius.
In all seriousness, I truly am amazed. Often times in the commercial arts business we are asked to work within limits. Whether it's due to budget, grandfathered in branding, or the Board of Directors son's–nephew's–daughter's favorite color, we are constantly inventing ways to “work with what we've got”. This was truly an amazing feat and I take my sombrero off to you!