A hospitality group in Shreveport, Louisiana reach out to me to help name and brand their new, members-only whiskey bar. I was really excited to help out!
The client, Bob, had only one reference: his dad’s favorite whiskey brand- Old Charter No. 8. I began initial research by focusing on Shreveport’s prohibition era, including old newspapers and ads. To me, the idea of Shreveport’s historic bootleg history was the perfect place to start for creating a members-only whiskey bar. I eventually stumbled upon a collection of newspaper clippings regarding arrests and busts from 1914, including one referencing some bootleggers, Porter Lawson (the King Bee of Bootleggers) & Nelson Scruggs. According to the newspaper article from the Shreveport Times, Porter was arrested and sentenced to one year of hard labor on the parish farm.
I thought those names and their connection to Shreveport’s bootlegger history was interesting so, after pitching the name, we began to work on the logo using the name Porter & Scruggs Social Club.
Since our main reference was a whiskey labels, I thought about how a whiskey brand would expand into clubs or bars. Would they stick to their main branding or create an alternative identity? How would they go about building a customer base that may not connect to their whiskey, but would still visit their bars?
My thought process is, of course, let’s work on the mark, but also, let’s consider the reason behind the endeavor. Without a clear vision, I’m not convinced that a company will succeed, no matter how good the logo is.
Cheers!
