Origin Brand Strategic Development

From Columbia Valley Food and Farm with its untenable acronym to Food and Farm this dedicated community organization has a special place in my heart. It was the first volunteer operation I was a part of, thanks to the indefatigable Bill Swan, and it introduced me to swaths of good people including Alison Bell, Glenda Wah, Lin Steedman, Abra Brynne, Lara McCormick and many others. These were the Palooza years when a very small group of people would huddle over incredible fri...es and epic to-do lists at Eagle Ranch and pull off a series of amazing events. Over the years, the group coalesced with Slow Food Columbia Valley, and advocated for and accomplished many more food related endeavours. There have been so many wonderful design opportunities through these years - I can see a long retrospective blog post somewhere in the future (gosh it’s misty out there!), but in the meantime, meet one of my favourite logos of all time. Perhaps it’s the culmination of years passively supporting the local food movement (doing my part at the table especially;) that brewed my sentiment. I believe that logos speak different things to different people; while a universal appeal and some commonality of messaging is important, the deeper symbolism, the artistry can be personal. I like to leave such commentary to the individual for the most part. One thing I know for sure - everyone has an opinion about logos. Here’s my quick take on the Food and Farm logo: the power of the graphic is the union of the two entities - food and farm. Farm holds up food - actually supports it in the graphic, just as our farms and our farmers support our good sustenance and ultimately our health. There’s a lot of metaphorical strength here. Note this motif in a secondary concept - which holds the two aspects of food and farm apart: here there is distinction between the two entities through space, though the anchor - the base - still and again is farm! It’s not something that’s conscious of course - it's likely most people wouldn’t even notice or be able to articulate the difference between the two logos but they’d feel it. And that’s where a strong and memorable brand works - in the heart. The logo is monochrome intentionally, meant to be positioned atop gorgeous photography of local farms and food. I could wax on but the ultimate motive of this post is to remind us of the inaugural AGM of Food and Farm tonight at 5 at the Radium Community Hall. Happy day and Santé.

It's such fun to watch this brand grow ... like a good story, all unfolds so naturally that the work feels effortless. The brand and her fearless leader Glen simply know the way. Wild Mountain Chocolate Sarah Bennett

Beautiful install complete by Lori of Sign Artists at Margot Penner's Invermere Massage Therapy. Here's a wonderful example of how the core original logo graphic (right most circle) can be evolved to accommodate a growing business model.

Wild Mountain Chocolate's looking fresh this summer... the new aesthetic is the outcome of some super productive working sessions with fantastic gent and Wild Mountain man Glen. Together we've graduated packaging from its mountain range anchor beginnings to the bright, inviting and streamlined look that you'll see this weekend. My current favourites? Mocha and mint ... oh my they're delish!