SKOGEN KITCHEN
Out of many fine eating establishments here in the Black Hills of South Dakota, Skogen Kitchen in Custer is among the finest. A Swedish word meaning “forest”, Skogen is a chef driven concept, offering innovative dinner options. Owners Joseph Raney (Chef) and Eliza Raney (GM) moved to South Dakota from Southern California to offer their experiences to the area. Their goal, is to bring flavors from around the world to Custer for the entire community to enjoy.
Skogen was a local business I wanted to explore for myself creatively. I approached the brand with intention, respecting the legacy it already had within its visual identity system, but I knew there was more to uncover for the brand.
CONCEPT
Skogen’s current logo has great minimal elements and is very different from most Black Hills establishments. Although, there isn’t too much cohesion, and there’s more potential than momentum. I crafted a new logo mark that used the same elements to preserve recognition, but focused on symmetry for restructure.
The logo inspired other parts of the visual system, seeing they were more geometrical and versatile. Brand patterns and icons were influenced by the new logo mark, helping expand the brand system and create visual consistency.
Overall, the original visual system was strong, yet there was more waiting to be found and applied. This was a great concept piece that was well received by the current owners after posting on social media.
APPROACH
