Bird and the Bees
Bird and the Bees is a specialty honey business with a unique story. They asked me to design a logo and honey packaging.
Service
Logo + Packaging
Industry
Food
Service
Logo + Packaging
Industry
Food
The company is led by a young couple living on a 1950s Greyhound bus with their parrot. They needed a logo that felt approachable and conversational, but still simple enough to be used across different applications like vehicle graphics, labels, and spray paint stencils for their bee hives.
"Beekeeping taught me that inside of this space of sheer chaos and uncertainty and fear and danger ... you need to look for all the optimism and beauty that you can find."
-James, co-owner
I knew right away I wanted to bring in some element of their parrot namesake. Looking at other food brands that this same customer would buy (such as Annie's and Horizon Organics), the cute, cartoon-ish animal mascot was definitely accepted in this space. I thought we could do something similarly playful with the bird, while still keeping it simple to meet the requirement of a scalable one-color shape. When I found of photo of the client's parrot standing on one leg, it was the perfect posture to add just the right amount of personality to the design.
The serif typeface is similarly very approachable. I wanted it to feel authentic but still very clean and legible at small sizes. Instead of using the bird as a standalone icon, I brought it above the "i" to add more playfulness and cohesion. That placement also helps draw attention to the left side of the logo where I want the viewer to begin reading.
I began this part of the process with a single question — how much would their customers be willing to pay per unit? That would dictate the volume of honey and capacity needs for the container. Once the size was determined, we looked at different shapes and were drawn to a taller, slim jar that felt more premium and differentiated from other honey brands. When lined up on a store shelf, the tall jar would also allow more of the label and color of the honey to be visible.
For the label design, we started pulling inspiration from specialty foods and liquors, and a playful typographic theme began to emerge. Below are some of the initial design directions I presented.
I began this part of the process with a single question — how much would their customers be willing to pay per unit? That would dictate the volume of honey and capacity needs for the container. Once the size was determined, we looked at different shapes and were drawn to a taller, slim jar that felt more premium and differentiated from other honey brands. When lined up on a store shelf, the tall jar would also allow more of the label and color of the honey to be visible.
For the label design, we started pulling inspiration from specialty foods and liquors, and a playful typographic theme began to emerge. Below are some of the initial design directions I presented.
After reviewing initial designs with the client, I knew two things: we needed to incorporate more organic elements into the design, and including some sort of security label over the lid was a must.
Not wanting to get too literal or complex with the organic shapes, I introduced a abstracted line drawing that mimicked the gentle rolling hills of the area. It also served the function of wrapping all around the jar to tie all the information together. For the jar lid seal, I incorporated color coded labels for each type of honey, and a small bus icon as a nod to the beekeepers’ nomadic lifestyle.
A year before this design project, I had joined James, the co-owner, on a cross country documentary to tell the story of how people were making positive changes to help bees and other pollinators. I filmed with regenerative farmers, activists, beekeepers, and community members on this road trip that culminated in a presentation to congress in Washington.
I began this part of the process with a single question — how much would their customers be willing to pay per unit? That would dictate the volume of honey and capacity needs for the container. Once the size was determined, we looked at different shapes and were drawn to a taller, slim jar that felt more premium and differentiated from other honey brands. When lined up on a store shelf, the tall jar would also allow more of the label and color of the honey to be visible.
For the label design, we started pulling inspiration from specialty foods and liquors, and a playful typographic theme began to emerge. Below are some of the initial design directions I presented.