Skip to content
Coghill Cartooning pencil logo

Coghill Cartooning | Cartoon Logos & Illustration

Cartoon logo & character mascot design by freelance illustrator/cartoonist/artist George Coghill

  • Portfolio
  • Contact
  • Blog
  • About
    • FAQ
    • Cartoon Logos 101
    • Testimonials
    • Merchandise
    • Podcast

Oakbrook Brewing Company Firefighter Parrot Cartoon Logo

March 11, 2015March 17, 2015 | George Coghill

Oakbrook Brewing Company Firefighter Parrot Cartoon Logo Illustration Coghill

This retro cartoon logo design for the Oakbrook Brewing Company featuring a parrot mascot character wearing a firefighter’s helmet was created for a client establishing a new brew pub in an old converted firehouse/fire station.

The client was looking for a fun, cartoon-style logo that had a classic/retro feel to it. While he couldn’t put it into exact words, I put on my Mind Reader Hat™ and started brainstorming on the direction for the logo.

That was helped along quite a bit by the reference photos supplied by the client. The restoration of the building was going to take cues from the original fire station, including colors, the font on the front sign, and provided the inspiration for the cartoon parrot mascot Polly, who was the mascot of the original firehouse.

oakbrook-brewing-company-logo-reference-photos-vintage

The building itself seems as iconic as Polly, so I knew from the start I wanted to somehow incorporate the firehouse into the logo design. With that deep red of the actual current building, and the green feathers and yellow beak of the parrot, I knew we had a palette that was almost dictating itself. The trick with the green and red was to find the right hues and visual variety and balance so that the logo didn’t come across as “Christmas-y”.

oakbrook-brewing-company-firefighter-parrot-cartoon-logo-rough-sketches-coghill

As the rough sketches started bringing the logo into shape, I wanted to see how the colors were going to work in case I needed to allow for changes in the design or illustration so as to make sure all the adjacent and overlapping colors were contesting and distinct where they needed to be.

As you can see in the final logo design, the central hops icon was developed from the sketch stage as a framing design element for the “14” (the original station number) to it’s own central place within the classic firefighter shape, the St. Florian’s Cross. This was a great example of a good client-artist working relationship, where I expressed my needs and intentions for that area (“a shape or element that says “firefighter” but not an object”) and the client, more well-versed in the iconography of the building’s history and subject matter, suggested the St. Florian Cross (whose name I was unaware of prior).

This was the perfect solution, as I wanted something that brought together both “beer” (the hops) and “fire station” (the St. Florian’s Cross). The client was deeply taken with this iconic element, seeing — as I had — the branding opportunities for situations where the full logo wasn’t feasible for using. Bottlecaps were the first thing that came to mind for both myself and the client!

As part of the initial project specs, the client wanted a standalone version of the parrot unobscured by the other logo design elements. This was in itself almost a side project, as I needed to recreate the shading effects from scratch due to the logo design calling for different shading as part of helping to differentiate various areas of the logo, retaining primary attention on the company name.

Oakbrook Brewing Company Firefighter Parrot Cartoon Character Illustration Coghill

In the end, not only a logo that exceeded the client’s expectations, but one that I am extra proud of. It was also an absolute pleasure to work with the client on this, we both enjoyed the “historical detective work” associated with developing the concept and solving the various design needs that arose during the development process.

Share this:

  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
  • More
  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window)
  • Click to print (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)
Posted in Cartoon Logos, Cartooning, Design animalArtbeerbellbirdcartoon charactercartoon character designcartoon logoCartooningfire stationfirefighterfirehousefiremanhelmethopsillustrationlogomascotparrotSt. Florian's Crossvector art

Post navigation

< “Putrid Pumpkin” Cartoon Character Sketch
“Tipsy Steer” – Drunk Bull Cartoon Logo Illustration >

Hire Me

Contact me for custom cartooning work.

Info

  • About Me
  • Cartoon Logos 101
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • How I Draw Cartoons
  • Testimonials
  • Podcast
  • Merchandise
Fat bike lowbrow monster on bicycle
Witch girl in the moon with beer cartoon illustration.
Earnest Tube retro vintage guitar cartoon logo.
Gar Trader cartoon logo cigar tough guy
Totally Groomy retro 1970s dog hairstylist cartoon logo.
Grey Wolf RV cartoon logo.
Token Gaming soldier cartoon logo
Tipsy Steer Drunk Bull Cartoon Logo Illustration Coghill
HDBitchin cartoon biker hot rod motorcycle cartoon logo.
Gorilla Dumpster Bags Cartoon Logo Illustration Coghill
Dowel Worx gorilla cartoon logo by George Coghill.
Cartoon logo dolphin shark beer island ocean Hilo Brewfest
Jazz Piano Dog Cartoon Logo - Best In Show
Cartoon monkey construction worked character & logo art

Blog Post Categories

Art Business Cartoon Characters Cartooning Cartoon Logos Daily Sketch Design illustration Merchandise News Productivity Resources Reviews Software Thoughts Tips Tools Tutorials Updates Video

Subscribe to Blog

Enter your email address and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Proudly powered by WordPress | Theme: Sketch by WordPress.com.
Coghill Cartooning | Cartoon Logos & Illustration
 

Loading Comments...