Jekyll & Hyde Logo Reflects the Brand’s Unique Personality by Paying Homage to Renowned Story
Jekyll & Hyde is a restaurant and bar that opened in 2018. in Boise, Idaho. The concept stays true to its namesake, the famous story of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. While their logo, work of the Propaganda Creative, does indeed draw inspiration from Robert Louis Stevenson’s gothic novella, it’s more focused on its pop culture influences, i.e., the duality itself, rather than the Scottish author’s narrative prowess.
The phrase “Jekyll and Hyde” refers to people (or places in this case) with an unpredictably ambivalent nature: outwardly good and collected, but sometimes shockingly wicked and sinful.
In the story, Dr. Henry Jekyll is a refined, sophisticated, buttoned-up professional. This embodies the day-to-day business of J&H serving breakfast bagels, coffee and lunch to the local daytime crowd of downtown Boise. Mr. Hyde, on the other hand, is the alter ego of Jekyll - his wild side.
Different from his literal counterpart, Hyde embodies more harmless misdeeds. Mr. Hyde is that unpredictable, shirt untucked, adventurous, spicy, and wicked type. He represents the evening and late-night business of J&H serving greasy spoon bagels and wicked good sandwiches for dinner. Once the dinner crowd has moved on, the look and feel of J&H will flip a switch to lively nightlife and party crowd - complete with music, drinks and debauchery.
The Rough & Minimal Style of Jekyll & Hyde Logo Design Grabs Attention Immediately
Professional logo designers excel in creating visuals that effectively capture the essence of a brand's duality – and that is the case for Jekyll & Hyde. The equivocal nature of the logo doesn't end with the brand's name.
The brand and identity of Jekyll & Hyde takes on a professional, clean-cut aesthetic that seamlessly switches to a wild and deviously fun feel. The logo uses a simple, albeit rough outline that, besides relying on the above-mentioned Hyde aspect, resembles a J&H main product – a bagel.
In fact, the somewhat angry, shouting face, not only looks as if it’s ready to sink its teeth into the tasty bagel but simultaneously mimics the piece that’s bitten off.
The logo merges a couple of different styles. It is a cross between minimalist and rough design, making the J&H logo suitable for different digital and non-digital platforms.
On certain types of product packaging (see the paper bag), the logo has a slightly different look. It takes only one of the elements, primarily the aforementioned face silhouette. Paired with the abbreviated version of the brand logo, the two profiles also represent the Jekyll and Hyde duo.
Pantone Orange Merges Confidence, Optimism and Energy into One Neat Package
When it comes to branding, the vast majority of newly established brands opt for style over substance, mitigating their essence for the so-called “wow factor”.
Jekyll & Hyde logo design playfully emphasizes the brand’s dual nature (or split personality), but it also subtly adds a third layer through the smart use of color.
Having in mind the inspiration behind it, the prevalent orange tint doesn’t rely on the basics of the meaning behind it, but rather on the union of its primary constituents.
We can safely address yellow to the Dr. Jekyll aspect of the brand. It is the color of positive feelings such as happiness, confidence and curiosity, while Mr. Hyde’s somewhat of aggressive red is more in line with passion, vigor and passion.
Although the resulting fusion retains the playfulness, vitality and creativity, customarily associated with orange, it is primarily an attention-grabbing tool, preserving both the red’s power and temper but also the healthy, hopeful and inviting nature of your typical dandelion flower.
Why did we think of dandelion? It’s simple really, just like the story of Dr. Jekyll, it is also known for its surprising transformation.
Blend of Diverse Fonts Empowers the Symbolic Elements in Jekyll & Hyde Logo Design
It’s simple. No matter the industry, type of service and/or products, your average consumer seeks reliability, consciously or otherwise. However, when it comes to food and beverage brands have an inherent room for maneuverability, not when it comes to quality, mind you, but marketing-wise. They want the unexpected, whether they’re aware of it or not.
However, when it comes to food and beverage brands have an inherent room for maneuverability, not when it comes to quality, mind you, but marketing-wise. They want the unexpected, whether they're aware of it or not. That's why branding agencies pay meticulous attention to typography, utilizing fonts that convey the brand's personality while resonating with consumers subconsciously.
Playing in the top league, quality is a given, visual appeal on the other hand is a different ballpark altogether. It’s all about the presentation, or fluidity of it. Jekyll & Hyde logo design stands tall by using a contrasting, yet simple, combination of fonts. Just at the first glance they are diametrically opposed. Once again, banking on the brand’s unique DNA, typography also evokes its duality.
“Jekyll” uses the legible and neat Industrial Gothic font that communicates the poise and proficiency, while the “Hyde” part relies on the aptly called “Face You Fears” font that is chaotic and unpredictable.
The combination of the two bridges the gap between their individual stances, providing clarity and originality to the company’s image and inciting trust in customers with on-brand messaging.
Jekyll & Hyde Logo Design Goes Above and Beyond, Effortlessly Fusing the Symbolism with Aesthetics
At the time of writing this article, we didn’t have the means of sampling Jekyll & Hyde’s tasty good(ie)s, but, given the opportunity, we certainly wouldn't pass the chance to do so.
Just by judging something as simple as their logo design, if there’s even a fraction of the same effort invested into making J&H bagels themselves, we’d willingly become the brand’s ambassadors.
Jekyll & Hyde logo design ticks all the boxes of current trends and best practices in food and beverage branding and then some. It’s minimalist, innovative and unpredictable.
Therefore, it deserves all the accolades for putting the fluctuating elements, colors and font style into one logo design quite seamlessly. In other words, it’s really no wonder why this month’s DesignRush best logo design award goes into the J&H brand’s hands.
