The fast food restaurant chain Shake Shack has grown into more of a phenomenon than early observers may have expected. Is this new success at least somewhat related to the distinctive and minimal logo that the brand uses? Fast Company profiled the restaurant and took a closer look at the materials the company has used to help define itself.
What's most notable about Shake Shack is the way it has endeavored to stay close to its roots as an actual "shack"-like location in New York City. The designer of that initial building and its related branded customer items, Paula Scher, was also involved with the city's overhaul of Madison Square Park, where the first Shake Shack was established.
Scher told Fast Company that the imagery and lettering had to match the look of the place itself, which was something of a modern spin on older, similar "burger joints."
"The original idea was, the shack would be part of an urban landscape in parks," she said. "And that's how the first one was designed. So when I designed the logo for Shake Shack, it was really the architecture that drove the design."
The company's bags and food containers feature bold, familiar drawings of some of the foods available, with the name of the restaurant in the Galaxie Cassiopeia font, which stands out well against stark, blank backgrounds.
From the POP signs your business uses to any and all merchandise associated with it, the logo and font have to work together to help cement the name of a business in the customer's mind. Starting with the exterior, companies can create a look that defines who they are and will last them as they grow more profitable and expansive throughout their career.