Logo development for a hunting and fishing enthusiast website.

Neither myself or my assistant Mike had any background in hunting or fishing… About the closest I could claim was my great grandfather being one of the folks responsible for The Missouri Conservation Board… and that’s about it.

We knew the client wanted to impart “fish” and “hunting” in the logo so that’s where we started. (See inset for the evolution of concepts).

Our first directions felt more like Front 242 album covers and Bass Pro Shop clothing line brands… until one particularly productive review when Lou, (client), said he was looking for something more… “gnarly”.

“As in like surfer… dude?” – I asked.

What followed was that process that designers do with their clients which includes grunting, hand gestures and verbal interpretive dance as we get the intangible feelings and ideas in their head out into the open.

We went back with the new input and revisited our concepts with the new perspective… Less fly fishing – more extreme sports.

The results surprised us as much as it pleased the client.

I have no intention of running out and nabbing my own venison steaks anytime soon and I don’t have the attention span for casting a line in the water and waiting for a bite – but I’d still stick a vinyl of this mark on the back of my car. Tell tale signs of a successful mark: when it transcends its’ base purpose and folks would consider wearing it or displaying it simply because they think it’s “cool”.

I do love shopping at Cabela’s…. Maybe I should ask Lou to show me how to fish. 🙂