Chances are, if you’ve ever said, “That’s the best damn margarita I’ve ever had,” then you were at Galaxie in Louisville, Ky. Galaxie is a seven-year-strong institution in the city’s food, beverage, and late-night music scene. What began as an idea for accessible and affordable food and drink options in the rapidly-developing Phoenix Hill neighborhood has now grown into a local standard for Louisvillians looking for a standout space where the everyday feels less “everyday.”

Our Challenge

As Galaxie approached its tenth anniversary, the owners of this Louisville staple approached us with what began as a simple ask: Can you help us redesign our logo? After some conversation, we saw an opportunity to achieve something bigger for our friends at Galaxie. We recognized that the Galaxie team was ready to align and develop their brand in a number of areas including a fresh logo, strategy around team-driven purpose work, and new brand signatures, or, visual expressions of some of their core brand promises.

 The Approach

As always our approach began with research. We conducted a number of workshops alongside the Galaxie team to uncover and align their vision for the Galaxie brand over the next decade. We explored and moodboarded several different directions, everything from retro-arcade-style Outer Space, to what a more futuristic, sci-fi version could be. Additionally, we created versions that would lean into different aspects of the establishment: some purley space-inspired, some that leaned more into the music and experiential space, and some that highlighted the dining and tastes of the restaurant. 

 After ample exploration and experimenting, we began to hone in a look and feel that served the restaurant, but would also highlight other elements of Galaxie’s success: the music and those signature margs. We began to look for ways that would incorporate all the various elements at once without overwhelming the viewer.

 Results

For the logo, we wanted something that was modern and sophisticated, but still felt approachable and would stand out at a glance.. bonus points were if we could allude to music, food, and drink. The final product achieved all three: a stylized and memorable logo with an update to the colors to make them slightly more “grown up”, the dot of the “i” fitted as a wedge of citrus, and finally, everything encompassed within a circle reminiscent of a planet, and simultaneously nodding to the outline of a vinyl record.

To accompany the logo, we created three additional icons for the categories of music (a record), drinks (margaritas), and food (Galaxie’s famous wakatakas). We made sure that the design of these complemented the new logo, while still creating a distinct visual language of their own so that each could be utilized as a badge / icon, representative of its respective category. These brand signatures promise that when you visit Galaxie, you’ll enjoy consistency and quality, accessibility and affordability. And always, a unique experience.