American Gourmet
When Char-Broil decided to split off their lower-cost grills and smoker’s, American Gourmet was born. I was thrilled to be the design lead for this exciting new brand, which was created in-house by the Char-Broil marketing team with the help of Robert Louey Design. Having limited budget to develop a full visual identity meant that we were responsible for developing the brand positioning and goals, as well as exploring our audience, the visual landscape, and our competitors.
To the left you will find the bold, energetic final design that uses its simple, straightforward graphics to emphasize the simple, straightforward nature of American Gourmet grills and smokers.
The logo mark, a combination of the American flag and a spatula, is a playful way to marry the two (somewhat opposing) words that make up the brand name. American Gourmet is a mouth-full in the grill world, so we kept the type choice ultra legible and modern by using the Din type family.
The use of electric blue recalls a bright blue sky on a perfect day to grill, and is a deliberate choice to stand out from the competition, who favor reds and oranges.
A logo plate is the badge on the front of a grill or smoker that lets you know what brand it is. With American Gourmet, we were focused on keeping the logo plate clear and easy to read, since American Gourmet is such a long name.
When compared to the cluttered, overwhelming packaging of competitors, American Gourmet is a breath of fresh air. The layout is simple and straightforward, just like the grills! The hierarchy is clear; first the logo, then a clear image of the grill, the name of the product, the key features, and the required warnings, icons, and barcodes. This lets the consumer see exactly what they need to know at a glance instead of bombarding them with information that they don’t care about.
Process
Here you can see the research into brand positioning, audience, and competitors that influenced our design decisions, as well as early logo and color pallet explorations.
