The Making of Trinity Brewing's New Logo

A couple weeks ago Trinity Brewing threw a release party for their new logo. As someone interested in the arts I thought it would be cool to hear from Gordon Barnett, the guy who made the design, and hear a little about his decisions and his process:

Trinity's New Logo

Trinity's Old Logo

Why did Trinity want to change the old logo, what was it lacking, or how does their vision not quite tie into the old design? 

I don't believe Jason or TRiNiTY felt there was anything lacking in the original logo, rather they saw a need to evolve to a more "organic identity" - if you will. The brewery prides itself on growing their own (or using locally produced) ingredients. Jason Yester approached me back in early November, with the idea of "evolving" the logo. He wanted to retain the TRiNiTY Swirls but to take them to the next step. Also, Jason wanted to update the brewery tag line to "Artisanal Beer House & Eatery." 

What was their vision for the new one, what did they ask you to do differently, or did they give you complete control?

Jason and I enjoy not only a friendship on a personal level, but an incredible professional working relationship. There are times when Jason, who's a gifted artist in his own right, has a particular concept or direction he would like me to take. Other times, he'll simply say, "Man, I have no idea on this one... go for it!" One directive Jason did provide me was on the imagery, not only for the new logo but for all Trinity images moving forward (i.e. labels, tap handles, t-shirts), to have a more hand-drawn quality. Being a digital graphic designer, this does pose its challenges. But, I am "old school" having gone to art college back in the day before computers, I find it challenging and rejuvenating! One of the first beer labels I did for Jason was "Old Growth" (which my personal favorite TRiNiTY Beer), was done using brushes and water colors on stretched paper!

What were some of your very first ideas?

Right from the onset, I played with a "tree and roots" concept. Again, the hand-drawn quality really lent itself well to the earthy concept I was looking for. The tree image was my starting point. I wanted to maintain the TRiNiTY swirl designs, encapsulated with the foliage of the tree. I also thought this may play well for seasonal beers, either through color changes or the transition a tree takes on through Colorado's four magnificent seasons!

Once I was happy with tree imagery, I concentrated on the root system. I began with hand lettering the new tag line "Artisinal Beer House & Eatery" which has a very earthy, down-home quality to it. The roots simply "grew," framing the words.

What other things did you change in process? What did Trinity like and not like?

I felt that right from the beginning, I was on the right track. Those are good days, when you know you're in sync. I went through several iterations. Early feedback I received back from Jason, was that the look was rather "sinister", so I concentrated on softening the imagery. The other really cool thing was when Jason received another stage in the design, he would post the logo on the brewery's facebook page. This was awesome, as we could gather realtime feed back from facebook friends.

How do you develop your ideas? Do you do research on images, or do you draw them out?

As I said earlier, being old school, I tend to begin conceptual thought with pencil and paper. I find this to be quicker in execution, more flowing from one "thumbnail" idea to another. Once I have have something that I think will work on paper, I transfer that to digital. I either scan my hand-drawn images, or recreate the rough concept in Photoshop or Illustrator on my trusty iMac.

Will the new design have color? 

I really think the new logo lends itself to a color application. I think that's indicative of a strong concept... easily adaptable from black or white to color. As I mentioned earlier, I would love to see a seasonal rendition.

I like the new image, to me it seems to fit the more farmhouse qualities of some of their beers.

I think you nailed it! TRiNiTY is known for their "farmhouse" brews. Jason really wanted that "hand-crafted taste" to be evident on the logo. I love the new image! It is always a kick to see my work reproduced, I equate it to a walking portfolio. I get no bigger sense of accomplishment than to see a beer connoisseur proudly wearing my art on their shirt - or now knickers! I also think the new growler KICKS ASS! Being what I consider to be part of the TRiNiTY "family," I get no greater sense of pride than when sitting at the "soft, amber uplite glow of the bar," and I overhear patron's comments on my artwork, or when a server introduces or points me out.