Union Tavern

Logo | Branding

The Union Tavern is a bar and restaurant located in Irondequoit, New York, within a neighborhood that includes residential, small businesses, an amusement park, and boat launch access to Irondequoit Bay. Their mission is bringing people together with good food and drink.

Owners Don and Kelly run another well-known establishment in downtown Rochester and had just purchased a building that was previously a beloved neighborhood bar with a long history. They wanted to keep the warm, inviting neighborhood bar feel while also updating the interior, the menu, and the overall image.

To honor the story of the location, Don and Kelly requested that the new branding incorporate an illustration of the historical building. They needed a logo that would work in both small applications (menus, business cards, online marketing) and enlarged as an exterior sign.

The buzzwords that emerged during my research included: family, comfort, neighborhood, community, and warmth. I created an illustration of the building and chose fonts that reflect a classic tavern feel. As for the colors, brown creates the warmth they were looking for while the blue gives it a bit of a modern touch. Two versions of the logo were designed, one with the illustration of the building and one without. The submark uses the ‘U’ from the logo and is tilted a bit so that it resembles a pitcher of beer.

Don and Kelly held a grand-opening ribbon-cutting ceremony alongside their branded roadside sign, proudly announcing to the neighborhood that Union Tavern is open for business.