The Feisty Goat Bar & Eatery Is a small classic pub, specializing in small bites and specialty drinks. While designing the brand for the bar I looked at some of the best-known bars in the New York City area. The owner wanted something that had an older appeal, similar to The Dead Rabbit. He wanted the sign for the bar to look like an old English bar with the wooden sign out front.
I worked at the owner’s request to have a design with some of the aspects of the bars in New York City. At the same time, the owner wanted the bar to be based off an old fighting poster of a centaur (half goat/ half man) in a fighting stance. The name had to be “The Feisty Goat”. We wanted to simply incorporate a goat head in the logo for the basic branding, the coasters, and glassware.
With the bar branding, I wanted to convey the classic bar feel that the establishment conveyed from the dark woods and leather bar stools to the old boxing posters all over the walls. With this project, the biggest problem was how to take a fighting goat and make it simple and classic at the same time. The initial design required lots of research and drawings of goats. The basic idea was to start with a black and white logo and incorporate color later. In the end, the eyes and horns of the logo conveyed the intensity and meanness of the idea of a fighting goat but had simplicity with only a few simple strokes the make up the rest of the face.
It was important for the owner to include the fighting poster feel in the bar. To accomplish this, I needed to create an image of a fighting goat, either as a fighting poster or an image of centaur in a fighting stance.
From this, we established the sign for the outside of the bar. It had the look of an old English bar sign. Following the lead of The Dead Rabbit, this sign also has the charm of a sign hanging from the building. We wanted the sign to show the fighting goat, as a whole entity, head to toe, with all the old-style fighting gear and the name of the establishment at the top above the figure, the tagline below.
If I have learned anything thing from this project is that there is pride in being a bartender and knowing how to make a standout drink. I had never heard of some the best bars in the USA but now I can appreciate them for the drinks and the amazing designs behind the bar branding. I highly recommend going to New York City to The Dead Rabbit just to look at their illustrated comic book style drink menu. I am in awe of the design involved in this establishment.
Have you ever been to a restaurant or bar where the design matched the atmosphere and food of the restaurant? Share your experience below.