The owner of Cedar & Co. is from Lebanon and also offers some traditional ready-to-eat meals, such as shawarma, kebab, etc. For this reason, the presence of the cedar branch is really important, because it is the cultural emblem. Not only it is present in the name of the business itself, but also represents a sign of the strength durability and endurance of the company.
A local client who lives in this neighbourhood or commutes by the Glebe from work to home. Male and female, 35-65 years old whose looking for a last minutes ingredients to complete a recipe or buy a deli meal. A lot of their customers come often to the store by walk and only take a couple of ingredients each time.
Amazing customer service along with healthy food and fresh products. A personalized service at a walkable distance from your home. The tone is friendly and welcoming. It is part of the neighbourhood and is a place where everyone feels welcome and happy; an extension of your kitchen.
It was important for me to represent the healthy side of the food market by including illustrations of vegetables. I went through the process of sketching all sorts of ideas, including carrots, beets, apples, bell peppers and tomatoes, with or without the cedar branch.
What I like about the beet, is the roots that are going into the ground, like the business rooting itself in the neighbourhood for many years already. The line work of this illustration is a little bit more modern and conveys some dynamics and movement.
As for the bell peppers/tomato combination, it is a good representation of the food market and it creates a harmonious line with the cedar branch where the words can sit.
At this point, I had 2 strong illustrative concepts that I wanted to keep exploring in juxtaposition with the text. Although I liked both of them, it made more sense to go with the bell pepper/tomato illustration as it is more likely to reach the target audience and represent the business.
Because of the simplicity of the logo, the target audience sees the business as a place they can trust and that can be part of their day-to-day without any superficiality. It is simple, yet familiar and is perfect to be part of Ottawa’s neighbourhood.
